The Blue Werewolf III: Spellsinger
by Kenjaje
Summary: Stitch, cured of his werewolf curse, and Lilo come to another Halloween. This year, the dance school is in trouble, and Lilo helps by taking part in a magic show with a real magician. Just a normal Halloweenuntil Lilo begins casting real spells.
1. Empty Night

The Blue Werewolf

Part III: Spellsinger

©/By: Kenjaje

Chapter 1: Empty Night

October 29th 9:40 PM

A cloudy sky caste in waves of silver from the light of the gibbous moon; the calming whisper of the autumn winds gossiping with the trees; twin torches blazed, set upon high poles, allowing light to roam the land and shadows to skulk the grass. The time was ripe for Halloween.

"Boring…" A girl, clothed in red, muttered as she shifted her weight to swing the hammock left.

"Halloween," asked her friend, countering to sway the right.

"Yeah," she sighed; to the left.

"But this year, party! And luau," her friend's blue arms reached to the air, and he forgot to swing right.

"Well yeah, the party at the dance school will be fun," she adjusted, to swing left again, "but it's…just boring, now that—well…" The hammock stilled and she looked to her friend.

"_Miga _glad," he replied.

"I understand," she said with a smile, "No more curse; no more chance of it being permanent." He nodded, stretching.

"_Takka ju_," he commented.

"It wasn't all my doing," she said, "I mean, how was I supposed to know I was the True Hearted?" She stared up into the sky. "I still don't know what that means…"

"Too late," he bounced, rising to a more relaxing part of the hammock's curve.

"I know, and he said the book was readable. Yeah right; it's gone back to not having _any _words at all. Are you sure you aren't just hiding that you can read it?"

"_Ih_; cannot read. Book blank." She signed, moving up to lie more beside him. She laid her head upon his shoulder, and watched as the silver-crowned clouds marched by and by.

"Have I—" she stopped as a twig broke nearby. She giggled quietly, finding irony in her petty fright. He chuckled too, and nudged her side with his elbow.

"_Gaba ju slava_?"

"I was gonna say…have I ever annoyed you at all since then—talking about it since it went away?" He was quiet for a moment, and that made her a little anxious. "I mean…I understand if you ever were—I tried not to bring it up every full moon, but sometimes it just—"

He shushed her, moving his arm to lay behind her shoulders. At first she still felt anxious; felt as though she were annoying him now by talking about it. But the comforting arm behind her made it go away.

"_Naga_," he replied "Not mind at all."

"…I just really miss it." She admitted. "Now more than ever; I've been thinking about it ever since mid-September." He smiled. "I mean—it was cool. As frightening and evil as they were in the movies and that one stupid story we read, you being one among them made it…" She paused, picking her words, "Fun rather than scary. Like I didn't have anything to fear, because whatever else might be out there was just like you—and in a way it was like you were there to protect me from it."

"But…not all good," he pointed out. "Stitch still monster."

"A…monster?" She repeated; "Is…that what you thought of yourself?" He kicked his feet together.

"Lost control…" He said.

"You were knocking me down to protect me from Bo."

"_Naga_; was going to—" She shushed him.

"No matter what you say, or how many times you say it; I don't believe you ever tried to hurt me." She nudged his side. "Even if you were a mindless zombie, a slow-walking mummy or a blood-sucking vampire, I wouldn't ever accuse you of trying to harm me."

"Already werewolf," her friend replied, hand on her shoulder, "_Naga_ want to be anything else." She laughed and pushed him down.

"Aw c'mon, if you were a vampire you'd be immortal. Or if you were a zombie you could walk around going '_tukka—tukka!' _instead of saying 'brains'!" She giggled at her play on his language. His left ear flattened behind his head. "Okay, okay, I'll stop. Still, I think it would be cool—but I wouldn't want anything to happen to my best friend." She tousled the fur on his head; he started swatting at her hand.

"Hey, you two rule-breakers!" A voice shouted through the door to the house. "It's ten o'clock—_past _your bedtimes." The girl huffed.

"If you become a vampire, _please _turn her into a ghoul."

"I heard that!" The girl shook her head.

"Well, gotta do with the big sister wants. Give you a bath and then go to bed."

"Bath? Oh…okay." He stood up, and just as she realized what he was about to do, she felt the hammock shake as he leapt off, and turn over, tossing her to the ground.

"Hey, get back here!" She rose, and pushed against the hammock; the door slammed. "Great…now I've gotta chase him." She forced the hammock up to get out from under it, and let it fall back; she looked back at the torches. "I have to put those out first, though."

She picked up a candle snuffer at the base of the torches, modified by Jumba with a longer handle so she could lift it high enough to put the flames out. The hammock disappeared into darkness. She placed the snuffer back down, and turned toward the house, when she heard a _snap_. Chills ran down her spine; she looked behind her into the darkness, but nothing was there. The hammock nudged her; she gasped in surprise.

"Don't be such a wuss," she whispered to herself, and tried to push the hammock away—it felt heavy. "…Stitch?" She asked, her hand tugging on the hammock to try and get it to move. After two tugs, her heart leapt to her throat as the torches blinded her with blue light; she screamed, and bolted for the door without looking back.

"What's up with you?" The older sister asked from the kitchen sink, as the younger one burst through the door and slammed it shut.

"The-the-the torches lit up b-blue!" She stammered; the older sister shut the water off. "Wh-where's Stitch?"

"Hiding from the bath you should have given him earlier—have you gone _lo-lo_?"

"No, really; the torches outside lit up blue!" She pointed toward the door, "Look for yourself!" The older sister went to the door and peered outside, and then looked at her younger sister.

"Look, I'm tired; I know it's almost Halloween but until then can you _please _stop imagining things?" She walked back to the sink. The little sister peered out of the doorway. "Now go find Stitch and give him his bath, and then bed." She saw a pair of blue eyes blink into focus in the darkness; she sighed, dismissing it as her imagination, and shut the door.

"All right…"


	2. Lilo The Seer

The Blue Werewolf

Part III: Spellsinger

©/By: Kenjaje

Chapter 2: Lilo the Seer

October 30th 10:17 AM

"Lilo…Wake up Lilo." She opened her eyes just a bit, half of her face sunken into the pillow.

"Mm…five more minutes…" She muttered, and started to fall back asleep.

"But Lilo already have five," She was shaken again.

"It's fine, I don't have to be there until ten-thirty." She pulled the covers over her head.

"But…is almost twenty…" Lilo moved the covers back down and looked at her alarm clock. Suddenly she was fully awake.

"_Shoot!_" She threw off the covers and made a dash for the closet. "Stitch, can you get my sandals?" She closed the door.

"_Ih,_" he went to the other side of the room and picked up her sandals; she dashed out of the closet in her favorite red muumuu and stepped on the elevator as he tossed her sandals toward her. They landed perfectly that all she had to do was slip her feet in, and before the elevator made it down all the way, she rolled out the side and landed on one knee, charging to the bathroom. He followed suit, and arrived to see her foaming at the mouth with toothpaste. She spat.

"Moses is gonna be really mad," she said, clutching a brush and tearing the bristles through her hair. "Ow!"

"Can still make it," he said, as she slammed the brush back down on the sink and headed out the hall downstairs. He followed scaling the walls; _thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump_-_thump_, Lilo's feet pounded the wooden stairs, jumping down the last three. She headed toward a backpack hanging on a coat-stand in the far corner of the living room.

"All right, you ready?" She slung it over one shoulder and headed for the door.

"_Naga!_" He replied, and zipped to the door, blocking her.

"We're late, whaddya need to do?"

"Lilo not ready for day until has health and balance breakfast." He answered, nodding a few times to help him think his words. She rolled her eyes.

"There's no time for breakfast," she said, trying to push past him; he flattened his back against the door and stuck his claws into the wall.

"All right, fine," she ran into the kitchen; Stitch heard her open the fridge and fumble around for something. She shut it, and ran back into the living room while drinking from a can. "Instant breakfast," she said, holding it up, "Nani drinks 'em all the time." He looked at it, sniffed it, and finally nodded his head and retracted his claws.

"Let's go," he said, opening the door.

"Right," she ran down the steps—skipping the last three again—and tossed the can in the garbage as she ran past. "Okay, so let's see," she said as she ran, passing up the buggy, currently broken, "We help with the party, then go pick out my costume and a pumpkin, and then we've gotta carve it—which is no problem for you—then we've got a little while to relax and after that it's just trick-or-treat and party." She turned onto the street. "Am I forgetting anything?"

"_Ih_," Stitch said, running on all fours beside her, "Nani want us to get candy and also not forget candle for Jack-in-Lantern."

"That's Jack-_o_-Lantern," she corrected, and made a sharp turn around the next corner—and fell backward as she ran into someone. She rubbed her head and looked up, a little dazed. A tall man stood in front of her; his skin was tanned and he wore khaki shorts and his button-up shirt was alive with many shades of blue. He knelt down and extended a hand to help her up.

"You ok?" His voice was bright and calm. Lilo stood up on her own.

"I'm sorry—I was running late and I wasn't watching where I was—"

"It's all right," the man interrupted, his hands resting on his knees. He smiled at Lilo with soft blue eyes and scratched at his freshly-cut auburn-colored hair. He stood and stepped aside. "Go on now, but be careful." She smiled and nodded.

"C'mon Stitch," he barked, "Thanks, and sorry again," she said before she jogged off. The man watched as they continued on, his eyes following Stitch.

"Blue…with black eyes," he muttered to himself. "So _they're _the ones…"

"Moses I'm here!" Lilo exclaimed as she crashed through the door; Stitch ran into her from behind, and both of them tumbled into the building, crashing into a pile of decoration supplies.

"Oh, Lilo," he said with a disappointed sigh. He walked over to her and helped her up. "A little late, aren't we?"

"I know, I know," she said, shaking her head, "I was up late last night because _Stitch _over here refused to take his bath." She pointed at him, and he looked around pretending he didn't hear her. She nudged him with her elbow.

"Well, at least one of my students showed up," he said with optimism. "Mertle and her friends aren't going to help with the party this year, it seems."

"That's because she's a big doo-doo head." Stitch nodded in agreement.

"Lilo, that's not something we say about our friends."

"And who is this young thespian, Mr. Puloki?" Moses turned, and behind him Lilo saw a very tall and thin pale-skinned man. He wore a dark suit and top-hat, complemented with a pair of shiny black dress-shoes. His eyes were very bright but in a strange kind of way, and a thin dark beard and mustache lined his jaw and upper lip. Moses stood up and faced the strange man.

"This is Lilo," he said, introducing her, "and her dog Stitch. She is one of my most…" He looked back at her, searching for the right word; she smiled back at him "_enthusiastic_ students." The man stepped forward, his hands in his pockets, and looked down at her with a very quirky and exaggerated smile.

"Who are you?" She asked. The man took off his hat, revealing a head of jet-black hair that fell over his shoulders, and bowed.

"I am Bram Stoker," he replied. His voice had an undertone that laced his words with a very exotic accent. "I am also known to many people as Doctor Acula." He knelt down in front of her and put a hand on her head. "And you are…Lilo. Am I correct?"

"Well duh," she said, "You don't have to be a magician to figure that out—Moses already said my name." Stoker chuckled.

"You're a bright young girl," he complimented, and took his hand away. Lilo felt something tickle her scalp, and when she reached up to soothe it, a small piece of paper was balancing on her head. She picked it up after it feather-fell to the ground, and stared at it. It was blank. She turned it over, and the other side was just the same. "My card." He said.

"There's nothing on it." She told him, holding it up and showing him both sides.

"Hm…maybe…" he looked at his hands, "Oh dear," he showed her the hand that was on her head, covered with smudged letters in black ink; "it seems the print does not want to cooperate today." She tilted her head. "Well, that's no problem, all I have to do is…" he closed his hand into a fist, and moved it underneath the card. Before Lilo could react, his index finger flicked the card out of her hands. She caught it as it twirled in the air, and examined it again; the blank card was filled with ink.

_Dr. Acula: Illusionist. _It read. He opened his hand to show her his palm—the ink was gone.

"That was…kinda cool," She said with a giggle.

"How ever did you do that?" Moses asked with applause. Stoker smiled.

"Magic of course." Stitch and Lilo exchanged glances.

"So why are you here Mr. Acula?" Lilo asked.

"Please, _Doctor_ Acula," he smiled, "I came to Kauai to do a magic show, but it got cancelled. I didn't want to come out here for nothing, and then I met with Mr. Puloki early last week."

"He's going to do a magic show at the party tomorrow night, Lilo," Moses continued, "as a courtesy to Aloha. It's nice to know such good people are still pitching in."

"It's my pleasure Mr. Puloki," Stoker smiled, "And I hope you find my contributions to your decorations to your liking."

"Oh very much," Moses replied with a closed-eye nod. "But I'm afraid we won't be able to get the decorations up in time for tomorrow. I still need to get a ladder in order to hang the streamers."

"I can help!" Lilo piped up excitedly.

"No Lilo, hanging streamers is much too dangerous for you—you could get hurt." She shook her head.

"We don't need a ladder, and I won't get hurt—Stitch will hang them." The teacher and magician took their turn to exchange glances.

"And how will you do that?" Stoker asked. "Even with my magic it would take quite a lot of effort to do the job."

"I can do magic too y'know," Lilo said smugly.

"Lilo," Moses started to speak, but Stoker interrupted him.

"You can do magic as well?" He stood up and clapped twice. "Let's see it, my young Seer."

"Well, I will show you, but only if Stitch is willing to participate." She looked over to him and asked if he was willing, winking her eye; he tilted his head, barked, and started to pant.

"Okay!" She put a hand on Stitch's back and led him to the wall, with the two grown-ups following close by. She picked up the ribbon that was set against the wall, and turned toward her audience. "Gentlemen," she addressed theatrically, "I will now perform for you a magical act beyond your belief," Stoker nodded. "I will cast a magical spell upon my dog and he will be able to defy gravity; he will climb the wall and even _walk on the ceiling_."

"Walk on the ceiling?" Moses questioned.

"That's right!" She said excitedly, and turned to Stitch, and started to pantomime tying a rope around him.

"And what are you doing there?" Stoker inquired.

"In order for this trick to work, I need to channel my magic directly to Stitch, so I'm tying a magical thread around him and myself." He lifted up his arms as she passed over to his front and pretended to tie a knot. "How's my improv?" She whispered.

"Good," he said.

"And now I will tie the rope around my waist," she did so, facing her audience. "Take the ribbon, Stitch," she handed him the spool. "All right, and now with the magic words I will give Stitch the power to defy the laws of physics:" she turned and waved her arms in the air, "_Abra-Kadabra Argentina!_" Stitch began to act as though he were being affected by some unseen force; swaying and moaning. Finally he stopped rigidly, and then stepped up to the wall, and in a hypnotized fashion started walking onto it as if it were the floor.

"Wow…" Moses's jaw hung open.

"Impressive," Stoker agreed as Stitch made it halfway up the wall. "He's getting to the ceiling." Stitch attached one end of the ribbon onto the hook mounted in the beam, and then continued, walking upright across the ceiling.

"_Amazing!_" Moses clapped.

"Very good, little Seer; you seem to have quite a bit of talent." Stitch made his way across the ceiling placing the ribbon on the various hooks that lined the beam. Finally he reached the other side, and Lilo commanded him to stop.

"I will now bring him back to me by pulling on the invisible magical rope tied around us. He will fly from the ceiling and land right in front of me." Stitch twitched his ears, and Lilo winked. He gave a little nod. Lilo pretended to grip her hands around the invisible rope, and pulled. "Release!" She said.

The window behind Stitch burst open; a powerful gale rushed into the room. The ribbon overhead began to whistle. Stitch flew forward, and did land in front of Lilo—and continued toward her with a bounce until he slammed into her. They hit the ground and tumbled into yet another pile of decorations—the wind subsided just as abruptly as it had started. Stoker and Moses looked about the room, and to Lilo.

"I think you pulled a bit too hard, Lilo," Moses commented.

"I am truly impressed," Stoker said with applause, "How would you and Stitch like to participate in my act?" Both of them looked at each other, and then at Stoker.

"Really?" She asked.

"Yes, it would be nice to have an assistant for the show. I'd love to have you perform some of your tricks."

"What do you think Stitch?" He barked. "Well…okay; sure, we'll be in the show."

"That's wonderful Lilo," Moses said, "but there won't be much of a show without decorations…"

"I think we can spiff up the place in no-time," Stoker said. "Just as long as Mrs. Lilo refrains from using the wind."

"Lilo, that was impressive but," Moses looked at the open window, "How _did _you do it?"

"…Well…uh…Magic, right Doctor Acula?"

"Precisely." She turned to Stitch and walked with him to the other side of the room.

"How did Lilo do?" he asked her.

"No idea," she said with a shrug. "It was probably just a really big wind—this place is kind of old and rusty." She picked up the ribbon and smiled. "Ready to get to work my Mystical Alien-magic Doggy?"


	3. Staff and Cloak

The Blue Werewolf

Part III: Spellsinger

©/By: Kenjaje

Chapter 3: Staff and Cloak

October 30th 4:28 PM

"Shave ice really hits the spot, dudn't it Stitch?" She looked over to him; he was cringing and holding his head. "Haha, brain freeze."

"_No legweesta_." He said with agony.

"Well that's what you get for eating it all in one gulp." She gave hers a lick, "I don't get how orange and black-lickerish are supposed to go together but…it looks cool for the time of year and all." She stuck her tongue out as the mix of bitter and citrus made her throat gag. "Maybe because it _doesn't _go together."

"Lilo look for costume?" He asked, as they started to walk.

"Yeah, but let's just take it easy for a bit. Working all day made me tired."

"_Ih_, Stitch tired too."

"Hey, look," Lilo stopped by a telephone pole. "There's a flier announcing the party tomorrow," she said pointing toward it. "'Come see the magic of Dr. Acula; most amazing show on Kauai'." She read.

"'Cake and ice cream and dancing'!" Stitch finished. A vague picture of Stoker with a wand in his hand was depicted in the middle of the flier.

"I hope a lot of people come and donate," Lilo started to walk again, "Otherwise we'll have to sell chocolate bars again…" They walked down the street, scouting for a costume shop. They finally found one three blocks over. "I'm sick of this stuff," she said, throwing the shave ice in the trash outside the store, "I don't think even _you _would eat lickerish."

"Blegh!" Stitch said in agreement, sticking his tongue out. They walked inside the shop, and a warm voice greeted them.

"Hey there, welcome to The Brew." Lilo looked over at the counter to see a tanned man with freshly cut auburn hair. "Hey wait," he said, squinting, "I recognize you…"

"You're the guy I ran into earlier."

"Funny running into each other again, eh?" Lilo giggled at his pun. "So, you here for costumes or just to say 'hi'?" Lilo went to the counter, Stitch in toe.

"Costume," she said. The counter was short enough for her to see over it comfortably. The man was lounging in a chair, with his feet kicked up on an ice-chest. _Alex _was handwritten on his nametag. She looked at the masks displayed on the wall behind him.

"You have anything in mind?" He asked.

"No…" she admitted, "I didn't really prepare for it this year." Stitch started to wander around.

"Well how about a princess? We've got quite a selection of those."

"Eww," she scrunched her face. "If there's anything I _don't _want to be it's a princess."

"Fair enough," he agreed, sitting upright. "You don't look the princess type to me anyway. How about a werewolf?" She giggled.

"Last year."

"Indian?"

"Year before." Stitch listened while looking at manikins wearing different costumes.

"How about an alien?"

"Nah, they're over-rated." He turned his head; she met his glance and winked.

"You're being really hard-headed." She giggled.

"I thought you knew that already."

"My shin does," he said with a laugh. He stood and stepped to the side of the counter. "All right…Mrs…what's your name?"

"I'm Lilo," she replied, "And that's—hey be careful Stitch!" Stitch was sniffing around the manikins, and bumped into one. He steadied it before it fell.

"Lilo and Stitch huh? My name's Alex—if you…haven't already figured that out," he said, fidgeting with his nametag. "Anyway, I guess I should start asking the basics—what are you looking for: horror, eerie, goofy…?"

"Hmm…" Thought for a minute, "Well, I think I have an idea. I'm supposed to be in a magic show tomorrow for my dance school's fundraiser, so maybe I should try to tie my costume into that."

"That sounds good," Alex agreed. "Are you the magician or are you the lovely assistant?"

"Um…Kinda both," she said, "And Stitch is going to be _my _lovely assistant."

"Yeah…we'll work on that." Both of them laughed. "Well," he continued, "Let me think…I know; be right back." As soon as he spoke he was already walking into a backroom. Stitch stepped beside Lilo. After a few moments of fumbling around in the back, and a loud crash followed by "I'm okay," Alex came back into the room and put a small thin box on the counter. "I knew it came in yesterday," he muttered as he opened a razor blade and cut the tape.

Lilo watched as he pulled out a hooded cloak, colored midnight blue. He raised it up to examine it, and then showed it to her.

"This is a Magus cloak," he said, "looks cooler than a magician's outfit, at least to me, and also it's the perfect size for you." He handed it to her, and she held it up. It was the prefect size, and as she looked it over she started to like it too.

"Can I try it on?" She asked.

"Sure," he said. She dropped her backpack and dove into the cloak, but had a little trouble finding the sleeves at first. It was very roomy, and fitted comfortably around her neck. The hood was able to fully cover her face in a dramatic shadow, but still allowed her to see a great deal. The sleeves were large, and she could hide her hands in them if she kept her arms at her sides, but if she lifted them up at all, her hands came out.

"I really like it, but it's missing something…"

"Goofy hat?" Stitch whispered. Lilo chuckled.

"I think I know what you mean," Alex said. He took a moment to walk over to one of the many displays in the store, and promptly pulled out a quarter-staff that was gnarled at the end. "Is this what you mean?"

"Cool!" Lilo exclaimed, as he handed her the staff. With her height, it was rather proportional to a full one on a taller person; she posed for Stitch. "How do I look?"

"_Ih_," he whispered, and then was distracted by a candle with a flame that changed from white to red.

"I'll take it—oh man…how much will it cost?" Suddenly her enthusiasm dropped.

"It'll be fifteen bucks," Alex stated. Lilo slouched forward.

"I've only got ten." She said with flattened eyebrows. "I spent five bucks on _black-lickerish _and orange shave ice."

"That sounds really nasty," Alex said.

"It looked cool!" she tried to explain. "Ah…what does it matter? I might as well spend ten bucks on a princess crown…" She took the cloak off.

"Well…now wait a minute, you said you were doing all this for a fundraiser, right?"

"Yeah," she said, handing him the costume and prop, "we're holding a Halloween party at the Aloha dance school tomorrow. I'm helping out this year 'cuz otherwise my Kumu won't have enough money to keep the school up. Our next chance for a big event is Christmas." Without a word Alex handed the costume back. "But I can't pay for it." She said.

"You take donations right?" Lilo nodded. "Then consider that my donation." He tousled her hair.

"But won't you get fired if your boss finds out?" Lilo pointed out with worry.

"I _am _the boss, kiddo," he said. "But I'm glad you care. Tell you what, I'll let you have the costume if you promise to amaze me when I come see your magic ok?"

"Okay," Lilo replied, and shook her head, "Wait a minute, when you come watch?"

"Well, I'd love to watch. You'd have to tell me where the school is, though."

"It's just a few blocks from the store, down that way," she pointed out the door. "There are fliers up with directions too."

"All right, count me in." Lilo smiled. "But let's make sure the costume works; put it on and cast some spells."

"Okay," she said, and pulled the cloak over her shoulders. She gripped the staff in her right hand. "Hey Stitch," she shouted. He looked over at her, melted candle wax dripping from the corner of his mouth. "_Kadabra!_" She said, pointing the staff at the candle. Just as she spoke, the candle began to flare nearly twice its size, and a screech seemed to resonate from the candle. "Whoa!" Frightened, Stitch stumbled backward, and toppled over three manikins in the process. Lilo ran to Stitch and threw costume pieces aside, uncovering him from the pile of rubber and plastic.

"_Miga oketaka_," he said dizzily. She looked at the candle; it had fallen onto the floor and the flame was put out.

"Hey!" Alex said. Lilo stood up and apologized.

"I'm sorry, mister, I didn't mean to scare my dog. We can put them back together."

"Forget the display," he said with disbelief, "how the heck did you do that—with the candle and the noise?" Lilo turned back to the candle, and looked at Stitch as he climbed out of the mess.

"Uh…magic?" She replied with a shrug.

"Well that settles it; now I'm definitely coming to your show. You're a real pro, kiddo." Lilo stared back at the candle again.

"Um…thanks." She said passively. She spotted a clock on the wall. "Oh man, it's almost six already?"

"Well, more or less; that clock's a little slow."

"I've still got some stuff to do today…but we've got to put the manikins back together…"

"I already told you to forget the manikins," Alex said warmly, kicking one of the heads that had rolled near his feet.

"I'm sorry about it—and for running into you earlier."

"Nah, it's no big deal. You just practice on that magic of yours; but be careful ok?" She took of the cloak and put it in her backpack.

"Okay, and thanks again for the costume." She picked up the staff.

"Don't mention it; you two have a good day."

"C'mon Stitch, we've gotta get going." She slung her backpack on and started to go to the entrance.

"Hey, kid, wait a sec." She turned. "May I ask who you're working with—the magician I mean?"

"Oh, his name is Doctor Acula." She paused, and watched the bland expression on his face for a moment. "Well, I'll see ya later; bye!"

"Bye." He said with a still-handed wave. A few moments after she left, he went over to the candle and picked it up. He placed it onto the tray, and waved a hand over the area where the manikins were, whispering. The pieces of plastic and rubber floated into the air, and a few seconds later the manikins were repaired. He turned to the candle again, and placed his hand over it. When he drew it away, a blue flame danced on the wick.

"I wonder if he's aware of that little girl's power." He stared at the flame for a few moments. "Lilo…You definitely have great potential…"


	4. Pumpkin Guts

The Blue Werewolf

Part III: Spellsinger

©/By: Kenjaje

Chapter 4: Pumpkin Guts

October 30th 7:07 PM

"Any chocolate we got is probably melted by now," Lilo muttered as they approached the road that led to the house. The staff she had been given rested across her shoulders, and on it hung four plastic bags filled with candy. "You doing ok with the pumpkin, Stitch?" She turned to check on him, and the bags swayed a little.

"_Miga oketaka,_" he replied, showing her a thumbs-up with his lower-right hand. The plump orange plant was balanced on his head. Lilo had to slide all of the bags off when she reached the stairs in order to carry all of her things in. She opened the door and promptly shouted.

"Anybody home?"

"Hello little girl," Jumba said from the couch, "have come home with lots of sugar-based candies am presuming?"

"Candy not for Jumba," she replied. "It's for the trick-o-treaters."

"Trick or treat!" Pleakly said, walking down the stairs. "Can I get some?"

"You _live _here! If you guys want candy, you can wait 'till tomorrow."

"Well looking at you little miss boss's-pants." Jumba teased.

"The only reason _I'm _not going after the candy is because it's all candy I hate. You think I'd give something away that I loved?"

"Is very smart girl, no?" Jumba chuckled, and took the plastic bags.

"Hey where's the little blue guy?" Pleakly asked.

"He's got the pumpkin," she said as she dropped her backpack and staff and went out the door. "Hey Stitch, bring the pumpkin around to the back, I'll change and we'll get started."

"_Ih…_" He huffed in response. He approached the hill to the side of the house and put the pumpkin on the ground, yawning as he rolled it up the slope. The sun was well on its downward path, and the air was starting to get cooler. He sat against the wall and waited until Lilo came. She arrived in worn shirt and shorts, and had bound her hair to keep it from getting tangled with pumpkin goo.

"Let's get this thing gutted—it's gonna be dark soon." He nodded, and placed his fingertips around the stem, extending his claws. Lilo set the staff, which she had also brought out, against the wall, and carried a bowl over to Stitch. "No flinging it at me, got it?" He smiled innocently. "You'd better not…" She said with narrow eyes.

"Okay…" He twisted his hand, and his claws dug into the pumpkin's flesh. Stem aside, they started pulling the guts out. "Can Stitch eat when done?" He asked, dangling the strings in front of his eyes.

"Why would you wanna eat that stuff?" She plunged her hand into the plant, and clasped a wet glob of guts.

"Curious," he admitted with a shrug. She blinked.

"…Tell me what it tastes like, but leave the seeds; we'll roast 'em this year." After much of the innards were removed, Lilo fumbled with the rib in her slimy fingers and scraped the sides. She handed the last of the strings to Stitch, which he promptly swallowed.

"Blegh," he stuck his tongue out and started scratching at it, "Taste like black lickerish."

"Thanks for the warning," she said, gathering the supplies, "I'll be right back with the other stuff; think about what to carve ok?"

"Uh huh." He waited again for only a few minutes, noticing the staff propped up against the wall. When Lilo came back out, he asked her why she brought it.

"To work on my magic; duh," she said with a shrug. "I want to perfect my appearance before I go practice the routine tomorrow." Stitch tilted his head. "Did you think of anything?" She handed him the marker.

"Um…" He thought for a second, and then started to draw. She watched as he did, but he kept getting in the way. "No peek." He said; she shrugged and let him work. A few second later he presented his masterpiece. "_Takah!_" Lilo tilted her head left, and then tilted it right.

"Um, no offense but…what the heck is it?" Stitch looked back at his picture; lines went everywhere, along with a few circles.

"Oh, is spaghetti and meatballs!" He said, and then chuckled. "Stitch hungry…"

"It's a good thing I brought patterns with me," she said as he set the pumpkin down. She wiped the marker off with the washcloth and plastered the pattern against the gutted pod. "We'll do a skull and crossbones this year, how's that?"

"_Oketaka_," he said, his claws glinting at the tip of his fingers. She stood back as he set to work, quickly cutting into the skin and poking the pieces through. When he was finished, he picked up the pumpkin, and proceeded to dump the pieces into his mouth. "All done."

"Well that's one way to clean up I guess…" She said, picking up the candle and lighter. "Since Nani won't let me use this yet, I'll let you do it. I'm going to practice." Stitch nodded and took the items. She went over to the wall and clutched her staff, and took various mystical and magical looking poses. Stitch placed the candle in the lantern, and dipped the nose of the lighter in.

"_Alakazam,_" Lilo said, holding the staff above her head. Stitch pulled the trigger on the lighter, but it didn't flare. "_Alabamboozle_," he tried again. "_Alabama!_" _Tick-tick—tick-tick-tick—tick-tick_. "How you doin' with the lantern Stitch?" _Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick…_

"_Miga no legweesta,_" He muttered, pulling the trigger over and over again, and finally threw it on the floor. "_Isa brokuba!_"

"You're _brokuba_," she teased, walking toward him. "Stand back, while I light this Jack-o-Lantern with my mystical powers!" Stitch chuckled along with her, and took a step back. "I will place the stem on top to show that there is no trickery," she did as she said. "And now, I shall light the candle:" she waved the head of the staff around in a circle, and spoke, "_Alaska con carne!_" She stopped. The lantern was silent.

"If work, would have been cool." Stitch said with a shrug. Lilo leaned on the staff.

"Yeah, if only it had—" Both of them jumped as a loud shriek echoed through the air. It pierced their ears so intensely that they were thrown off-balance. Lilo found herself on the ground, the staff across her stomach. As she started to get up, Stitch exclaimed her name, and pointed at the pumpkin.

Their mouths hung ajar as the skull smiled at them with a blazing light behind it. The candle flickered and waved, casting a reflection of the image across the blades of grass.

"N…no way…" Lilo rested on her hands and knees, staring into the pumpkin.

"Did Lilo do that?" Stitch asked.

"No…I couldn't have. Maybe you lit it and it just took a while to catch on." A bug landed on her hand, and she flinched with a squeal. "Okay…let's just…go inside," she said, as she walked over and blew the candle out of the lantern. "It's getting darker and kinda cold."

"_Ih_," Stitch went ahead of Lilo, and both of them rushed inside. They started to go upstairs, when Lilo realized she left the staff outside.

"I'll be right back, ok?" Stitch nodded. She ran downstairs and stopped at the door. Hesitantly, she opened it. Outside, it was almost dark; she could just see the ground. The pumpkin was still dim. She stepped outside, and walked around, not exactly recalling where the staff was. She finally found it a little bit away from the house. "I don't remember it being this far out…" she said, looking back to the door.

The staff was near a dead flower. Lilo looked at the pumpkin as she reached for it, and so grabbed the dead flower by mistake. At first she flinched, and then told herself to "stop acting so silly," and picked up the staff. She stared at the little dead flower.

"I couldn't have lit the candle…magic isn't real." She told herself. "If magic is real, then I would be able to make the flower better." She paused at thought, and then lifted her hand up. "_Alabaster,_" she said softly, and waited. The sky grew very dark in the next few moments. "No really, stop acting so silly Lilo." She muttered, and walked inside.

Night fell as soon as the door closed. In the dark, a pair of blue eyes watched Lilo recede into the light of the kitchen. Soft footsteps padded the grass, and the candlewick in the pumpkin began to emit a soft, blue flame. The light emitted by the pumpkin illuminated the dead flower. A red fox sat before the flower, and watched as it trembled and quivered. Its white-tipped tail twitched as the flower rose. The petals opened, and the grass around it began to grow a little taller. The fox looked toward the house, and the blue flame in the lantern waned.

"Magic show?" Nani asked, as she got a bowl for her spaghetti.

"Yeah, there's this guy, Doctor Acula, who's a magician and he wants me to be in his act as his assistant."

"When did Doctor Acula fit in? I thought it was going to be a dance party."

"Moses said they met last week…"

"And guess who skipped class last week?" Lilo hit the table.

"It was for a good cause. And the cousin we were after jumped from dimension to dimension so class wasn't the only thing I 'skipped'."

"You could have asked it to take you to a dimension where you had gone to class that day and saw what happened…" Lilo slumped back in her chair.

"Anyway, I'm gonna go back to the school tomorrow to rehearse and then later on I'll be in the show!"

"Show!" Stitch repeated.

"Dang," Nani said as she sat at the table, "Now I _have _to go…" Lilo didn't hear the sarcasm.

"You mean you—Nani! This is for the school; if you don't go and donate we might not _have _lessons until next spring."

"Relax Lilo, I was only kidding," Nani tousled her sister's hair. "Me, Jumba, Pleakly _and _David will all be there." She took a bite. "So, what kind of magic are you going to perform?" Lilo blinked.

"I…I don't know." She admitted. "The whole reason I got into the show was 'cuz I faked magic by having Stitch scale across the walls."

"Magic _is _fake, Lilo." Nani said, "But with all your other cousins, like the little disappearing rabbit, you could pull off a _really _good act."

"I could…but there's not enough time. I'm thinking I'll have Stitch do what he does best; right Stitch?"

"_Miga _magic!" Lilo giggled.

"And it's past both of your bedtimes." Both of them groaned in protest. "_No_; now go upstairs and when I come check on you you'd better be in dream-land—no illusions."

"All right…come on Stitch," he nodded and followed. "We've got a big day tomorrow anyway—and _somehow _we've still got to go trick-or-treating."

Stitch rose up into the room from the elevator, carrying two candy-bars from the stash; Lilo was staring out the window with a frown. "What wrong?" he asked, approaching her with an outstretched bar.

"Remember yesterday when I told you about the torches?" She saw him nod in the reflection. "I just…thought I saw something out there again…" she turned around and took the bar from him, "I think I'm just too excited."

"Stitch think so also." He said, consuming his candy. "Lilo wake on time tomorrow _oketaka_?"

"Okay…yeah," She said, walking to her bed, "we should go to sleep." Stitch back-flipped into his bed, and Lilo slowly crawled under her bed's covers, her candy on her nightstand. "G'night," she said.

"_Enchujae_."

Though it was difficult, Lilo finally fell to sleep. She dreamt of Stitch, still able to turn into a werewolf. She ran alongside him through a wooded area, leaping over roots and thorns. The air was cold, and the woods were silent, other than their feet stomping on the earth.

They ran into a patch of dark foliage, and Lilo closed her eyes; she felt thorns scrape her arms as she lifted them up to block her face, and she tripped over a root. Her cheek hugged the dirt. She got up slowly, and called out to Stitch, but he had disappeared. She looked around; she was at the edge of a clearing. She walked barefoot across dead grass. The sky was blood red without a sun or cloud, and consequently everything around her was reddened, or lost in black. She heard footsteps behind her, and turned.

Against the redness of her dream world, a pair of blue eyes flared in the shadows. She took a step back, and though her mouth moved no words came forth. The creature stepped into the light, revealing itself. A red fox sat against the edge of the clearing. As it stared toward Lilo, a calm voice echoed straight into her ears.

_I have been watching you. _She stepped back. Its tail twitched. _Why are you frightened? _The voice was far from threatening, but she felt a sense of fear course through her sleeping veins. _You, of all humans, have nothing to fear_. The edges of the trees rippled against the blood-red sky as a gale began to rip through the clearing. Lilo's slumbering body felt anxious. _You should fear nothing; not even the shadows…_ The sky dimmed, and behind the fox, she saw a dark figure rise up from behind the trees. It was gigantic, and seemed to sprout two wings. She tried to yell to get the fox to notice, pointing and shouting but no words came out.

_If you fear the shadows of your dreams…how do you rest when the real ones follow you in your wake?_


	5. Blue Eyes

The Blue Werewolf

Part III: Spellsinger

©/By: Kenjaje

Chapter 5: Blue-Eyes

October 31st 10:01 AM

"Hello…?" Lilo asked, poking her head through the door of the dance school. Stitch's head was right below hers. "Is anybody home?" The door creaked open as Stitch pushed it. "Maybe we're early," they stepped inside. Tables and chairs were set up facing the stage; long tables lined the walls. Streamers and ribbons, most put up by Stitch, crossed the ceiling and hung from the walls. A few things they hadn't helped set up were in place as well, including a large bowl with a skeleton-stand in the middle, that had a disproportionally large skull. The skull's mouth was wide open, and just under the mouth and both eyes a ramp-like groove interrupted the sculpting. It was smooth and glassy to the touch.

A few minutes into their exploration the silence shattered with a soft explosion. Lilo jumped and clutched Stitch's hand, squeezing it a little. They looked around, and Stitch pointed to the stage. Stoker smiled inside of a dissipating cloud of red smoke.

"Oh, hello there Lilo," Moses' voice came from the doorway. "Have you seen Mr. Stoker, he seems to have disappeared on me." Lilo pointed to the stage as Doctor Acula came toward the center of the room. "Oh, there you are."

"I noticed we had company," he smiled, "And I thought I'd try to give them a little surprise."

"No kidding," Lilo muttered, hastily releasing Stitch's hand.

"I see," Moses said with a laugh, "Well, I will be arranging the outside decorations if anyone needs me."

"Very good, and we will begin rehearsing. Are you ready, Lilo?"

"Yup!" she said, and held up her backpack, "And I brought my costume." The staff was tied diagonally across it.

"Excellent—but let's save the costume for later tonight. For now, please tell me what tricks you'd like to perform in the show." Lilo smiled, and Stoker took a seat in one of the chairs.

"Well," she said as humbly as she could, "I uh…don't have many tricks myself. I can make my dog climb walls, like yesterday, and also make him lift and juggle heavy objects…and do molecular physics. And if he drinks coffee, he goes _crazy_!" Stoker scratched his whiskers. "But I was wondering…what else do I do in the show—aside from my own tricks?" The Doctor smiled

"Come with me," he said, beckoning her toward the stage. Lilo turned and beckoned Stitch, and the three made their way. Stoker hopped onto the stage, and pulled the curtains aside. A few tables were revealed, one of which had a large top-hat big enough for Lilo's entire head to fit in, lots of scarves, and a scroll. On the floor below the table rested a strange contraption; a long wooden beam supported several candles of different heights, and where each candle fitted into the wood, a pedal protruded on one side. The second of the three tables in back looked like a plain table, with wine glasses and fancy dishware.

"These are my props for tonight," he said, "and I need you and Stitch to bring them out to me when I need them." Lilo stepped closer to the table and looked it over, while Stitch sniffed the strange device on the floor.

"That sounds easy," Lilo said, "We can do that."

"Excellent…but I was thinking yesterday after you left," he said, and went to the table of props. "I think that the spirit of this show, as your teacher said to me, is about the spirit of Aloha and philanthropy."

"Phil-who?" Lilo asked.

"Philanthropy is another word for charity," he said with a smile, and picked up the scroll. "But, in light of what your teacher said, I think it would be rather dull if I were to perform the grand finale…I should think it would do better if someone who truly represents the spirit of Aloha performs the last trick of the night." He smiled to Lilo, and very quickly pointed the scroll toward her.

"You mean…you want me to do the last trick?"

"Who else is worthy?" Lilo took the scroll. "Those are your lines," he said, "we'll practice them a few times when the time comes."

"Do I need to memorize it? I'm not that good at memorizing lines…"

"Not at all," Stoker said gently, "you'll be reading it from the scroll on-stage, okay?"

"All right." She agreed.

"Very well; let's begin!"

The rehearsal went on until a bit past noon. Stoker showed his two assistants the mechanics behind some of the tricks, and even allowed Lilo to try a few on her own—even a few simple ones that weren't going to be in the show. Lilo had Stitch climb the wall, juggle a few chairs, and lift up the third table behind the stage by only one leg. "You two make an excellent team," Stoker commented. When Stitch winked on his thermal vision, Stoker immediately wanted to incorporate that into the show. "I can see him emerging from a cloud of fog with those glowing eyes—a perfect introduction; eerie and exciting." Stitch chuckled at the compliment.

They did a run-through for Moses, who received the show with excitement. At half-past noon, Stitch and Lilo walked down the street toward home.

"Hey," Lilo said, as they approached the costume shop, "Let's see if Alex is inside." To their disdain, Alex wasn't there, and the shop was locked and dark. "He fixed the display," she commented, pointing to the window. "We should apologize again tonight when we see him."

"Stitch say sorry," he said.

Boredom took over for the rest of the day. The two scraped for something to occupy themselves until six-thirty; games dried out, nothing on TV and they were too excited by what was to come to play pretend. Even standing on their heads until they got dizzy didn't make the sun go across the sky any faster. The only thing that made the hour-hand slip by for a moment was Lilo's dream. She told Stitch about it.

"I just wonder what it meant—y'know, that deeper meaning dreams are supposed to have."

"Maybe Lilo afraid of stage, and shadow mean people sit on floor."

"Hey…that's actually pretty good. That makes a lot of sense…except, why a fox?"

At last, twilight came; Lilo threw on her cloak, wearing black clothes underneath, and grabbed her candy-bag. Stitch followed excitedly behind. "Remember," Nani said before they left, "We'll be at the school by eight, ok?"

"Ok! We'll be there too, don't worry." Lilo shut the door, and looked at Stitch with a smile. "Let the trick-or-treating—_begin!_"

"Man, the candy's really pouring in isn't it?" Lilo held up her bag and hooked it onto her staff. Stitch lifted his bag up—it was a little light. "What happened to all of yours?" He opened his mouth, revealing traces of wrappers and a bit of taffy yet consumed. "Yugh, sorry I asked." She placed her hand on his nose and shut his mouth. "Well…you ready to go the party?"

"_Naga,_" he said, shaking his head, "One more house?" He pointed to a house at the end of the street they were on. It was pretty far away, with no lights on the path.

"I dunno…it's kinda dark." She looked at Stitch, and stepped back as he smiled at her with glowing eyes.

"_Naga _worry, Stitch can see." She scratched her head and sighed.

"Well…all right, but this is the last one." She held her hand out; he took hold of it and they walked down the dark path. "You know, someone in a really ugly mask is probably gonna pop out on us while we're walking."

"Stitch protect," he said, squeezing her hand.

"Please…I'm not s-scared." She cleared her throat after the statement, to hide her stammer. They were a quarter of the way to the house; Lilo heard a rustle. "Wait," she whispered.

"_Gaba_?" He turned, and his glowing eyes sent shivers down her spine.

"I…heard something." She pointed off to the side. He blinked, and his eyes changed from green to red. She let out a little yip. "Could you at least warn me?"

"Stitch thought Lilo not _s-scared_." He teased.

"Sh-shut up." She retorted flatly, stammering on purpose.

"Stitch _naga_ see nothing." They started walking again.

"Ok…but keep your eyes peeled." He blinked back to green. They continued on. Halfway—Lilo felt a bit of relief. _"The monster always comes out halfway between point A and B in the movies…" _They walked on. _"Unless…he's waiting for us to almost get there…" _Three-fourths of the way, and the house went dark. "I knew it!" She said in a whisper.

"House go bye?"

"House was trap—listen for a noise…we're gonna get a surprise…" Sure enough, they heard rustling. But, when she questioned him, Stitch couldn't see anything. "What good are you?"

"Cute and fluffy…" The rustling was quiet. For seven heartbeats there was silence, and then the shouts rang out. Several voices roared, but they weren't frightening. Lilo's eyes ached as flashlights were shined upon them. She closed her eyes and raised an arm to block the light; Stitch did the same, only the light was amplified through his light-sensitive night-vision. Lilo heard a voice speak.

"Grab the candy!" She felt a tug at the end of her staff, and opened her eyes, but a light forced them to close again. "C'mon let's get out of here!" The lights went off, and the thieves ran.

"No way!" Lilo shouted, "It was just a bunch of candy-stealing kids!"

"_No legweesta,_" Stitch muttered, rubbing the spots out of his eyes. "_Agata!_" He started to run; Lilo tried to tell him to wait, but he was already seven bounds ahead. She tried to chase after him, but she tripped over a tree-root, and rolled. Dizzy, she got up, and found herself alone.

"Stitch," she called, but received no answer. "Great…" She muttered as she leaned against the tree she had tripped over, "Now I lost my candy _and _him."

"How embarrassing…" Lilo's hair stood on end. "You were overtaken so easily…" The voice came from behind her; she peeked around the tree.

"Who…who's there?" She scanned the darkness. A pair of blue eyes blinked against the shadows.

"Would you feel less scared if you knew?"

"Wait…" she looked to the eyes, "I've seen you before—no…you're just a dream."

"Silly girl," the fox—she presumed—cackled. "There are no _dreams _on these full-mooned nights; only nightmares."

"Why are you here? Stitch isn't a werewolf anymore if that's who you're after. So go away."

"He is very much a werewolf, and you are very much in danger." The eyes blinked.

"You look dangerous." She replied.

"Lilo!" Stitch called; she looked back to see his green eyes running toward her. She looked back toward the blue eyes—they were gone.

"Be wary of the spells you cast…" She heard the voice speak, before Stitch finally came close to her.

"Stitch get candy back," he said, handing her bag over. She took it.

"Thanks," she picked up her staff and hooked the bag onto it. "Did you beat up those thieves?" His eyes went left-to-right.

"_Naga_," he replied, "Stitch not find. Trip over bag…so Stitch bring back." She looked back to where the blue eyes were. She resolved the voice to be her imagination.

"They probably dropped it when they saw two glowing green eyes after them," she giggled, and took his hand. "Come on, we're probably late for the party."


	6. Magus Finale

The Blue Werewolf

Part III: Spellsinger

©/By: Kenjaje

Chapter 6: Magus Finale

October 31st 9:38 PM

At the dance school, not a human was in sight. Skeletons, monsters, ghouls, ghosts, royalty and zombie ran amok, feasting and dancing. Torches were lit outside, and on the side of the school candles protruded from the wall, melting into blood. Inside, the masks were removed as people sat down to eat, while some danced upon the stage. Food was abundant at every side of the room; candles burned gentle light into the room. One perched atop a skull with its mouth and eyes seeping blood-colored punch, which some of the smaller goblins of the party refused to drink without their parents' encouragement.

A mage and her blue companion approached. Out of breath, they paused against a tree across the street; the mage leaned against her staff.

"Wow…a lot of people came," the mage said, staring at the glowing shoulders of the monsters outside.

"_Ih_," her companion replied, "Many donations." The mage smiled.

"Yeah…you're right. Let's make sure that they have a good magic show—we're late." She rose from her staff, and dusted her cloak. "Let's go."

"Lilo," Nani said, as the party saw Lilo and Stitch enter the room.

"Nani, David—Jumba, Pleakly, you guys came," she handed her bag of candy to Nani.

"Why would not we be coming? Lots of consumables," Jumba said, ripping at a drumstick.

"And not to mention food!" Pleakly said, trying to consume a pair of wax lips.

"Uh…Pleakly, that's not…" David tried to speak, but Pleakly bit into them.

"These things are delicious!"

"Moses asked about where you were," Nani said, "he said to go backstage. He and that guy—Doctor Acula?—are waiting for you." Stitch handed Nani his bag of candy as well, and Lilo nodded. "Everyone's waiting for the magic show, but they couldn't start it without you, so go on and hurry up." Lilo ran toward the stage, and tripped over her cloak.

"Ow," she muttered, rubbing her knee.

"Hey there little mage." Lilo looked up; Alex stood in front of her, extending a hand to help her up.

"Hi Alex," she said, standing up on her own. "You made it here ok?"

"Yup," he said, handing her staff over. "Need this?"

"Thanks," she smiled as she took it. She noticed that he wore almost the same clothes as when she first met him—a light blue shirt with a different design, and khaki shorts. "Where's your costume?" He chuckled.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm a surfer." Lilo rolled her eyes.

"Of all the costumes…" Stitch tapped on the shoulder. "Oh, sorry Alex but we gotta get moving. We're so late for the magic show it'll be next Halloween before it starts."

"All right," he said with a smile, "Just be careful casting those spells."

"Heh, will do!" She shouted back as they disappeared behind the stage. Moses and Stoker were backstage, along with a few other people—stagehands, dressed as mimes—talking. They greeted the mage and her assistant.

"Ah, my apprentice approaches," Stoker said.

"Yup! I'm sorry I'm late; we got mugged by some kids, but Stitch got 'em."

"Oh my," Moses said, "I had heard some parents talking about some kids that were causing trouble nearby…are you two all right?"

"Yeah, we're fine, right Stitch?" He nodded.

"Very good. We're a little behind schedule, but I think if we get started right away we'll be able to finish before midnight hm?"

"Right—ready when you are Acula."

"_Doctor _Acula." He bowed. "Very well, take your place, my young seer; your act is first." She nodded, and Moses stepped out onto the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls," he announced; people from outside were being ushered in. "It is my great pleasure to bring to you the great Doctor Acula and his assistants, Lilo and Stitch!" He bowed and moved aside; the curtains opened, and a puff of smoke filled the stage, and as it settled Doctor Acula's hands and face could be seen.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. Tonight you will bear witness to acts that will leave you at the edge of your seat. But I am not the only magician in this room—a young girl you all may know very well has shown me she has magical powers of her own: it is my honor to introduce to you the mystical arts of Lilo the seer."

Doctor Acula bowed, and his body seemed to split in half as the curtains opened; the crowd applauded as another plume of smoke appeared, and a pair of red eyes walked forward through the smoke. The familiar face of Stitch came into view as the smoke dissipated. A second applause; Nani and her table all chuckled on the inside.

Lilo entered quickly from above; Stitch's hands rose into the air quickly, and caught her feet. Her face was shadowed by the hood of her cloak. The audience fell silent as she revealed her face. Butterflies rolled in her stomach, but she kept a straight face. She looked at everyone she knew, and noticed Mertle and her group sitting a table up front. Behind her princess-style glasses, Mertle was trying to hide her gaze.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she addressed with a very dark and mystical tone, "tonight, I will show you that magic can allow you to defy gravity and have inhuman strength. But I will not take part in any magic; my assistant, Stitch, will perform all of the magical acts. I will simply be casting my spells upon him." The audience murmured. "First, for your amusement, Stitch will lift heavy objects. With my command, Stitch will have the strength to handle anything with ease." She raised her hand and snapped; her staff fell into her grasp from above.

"_Abra-Kadabra._" She spoke, pointing it toward Stitch. He flinched, and stepped back; he fell onto his stomach, and closed his eyes. The audience watched in silence. His eyes burst open, blaring with red light. The audience gasped. The curtain in back opened to reveal a table. Stitch went to it, and gripped his hand around one of its legs, and lifted it into the air with ease. The audience murmured again, and became more excited when he tossed the table up into the air, and had it land on his nose. He balanced it, and as they gasped the table swayed back and forth. The lights on the stage shined on Lilo, and next to her glass cups and dishes were at her side. She idly threw them at Stitch. He clutched each one and threw it into the air in such a way that it landed on top of the table.

"What is this a circus act?" Mertle shouted. The table was complete, dishes and all; Stitch set it down, and his eyes returned to normal. The audience clapped. "Please—any animal at the zoo can be trained to do _that _trick."

"Maybe," Lilo said, glaring at Mertle, "But can those animals do _this_:" she held up her hand, "_Hocus Pocus_." Again, Stitch began to act as though her were being attacked by some magical force. This time, his eyes glowed green, and he charged toward Lilo. The audience gasped as it appeared her would attack her; she held up her staff, and he used it as a means of leaping toward the ceiling of the school, out of bounds of the stage. As he scaled across the ceiling Lilo looked at Mertle. "Well?"

"Big deal; it's just wires." Stitch walked over to where she was, and released his claws. Everyone laughed as she screamed and tumbled to the floor. A little while into the commotion, glass broke onstage. Everyone was quiet as they watched Doctor Acula; he carried a platter of glassware and began throwing each cup on the floor.

"I was never much fond of my mother's china," he said with a smile to the audience. They laughed.

"Man…no one liked our act…" Lilo said backstage.

"_Ih_, everyone liked," Stitch said, as he hopped down from the ceiling of the stage; "just _naga _Mertle."

"But I suppose if mother saw this she'd get very angry at me, don't you all agree?" The audience nodded. "Well it's a good thing I'm a magician; I can make these cups look brand new again." He proceeded to pick up shards of glass, and let them drop. As they fell onto the floor, instead of shattering and bouncing further, they bounced and formed back into a cup. The audience clapped as he showed them his hands, which were unharmed.

"Now _that _was a magic trick!" Mertle shouted.

"Little girl, what's your name?" Doctor Acula asked.

"My name is Mertle, Mr. Acula."

"Why don't you come up here, Mertle; and that's _Doctor _Acula." Mertle got out of her seat and hopped up onto the stage. "Mertle, do you like rabbits?"

"Bunnies are _so _cute! Of course I do!" She said sweetly.

"Well then," he said, grasping his hat, "I think I have one in here somewhere." He reached his hand in, pretending to grasp around; he pulled it out with enthusiasm, but grasped a rubber chicken. Backstage, Lilo giggled. "Hm…" Acula flicked the hat in his wrist; it expanded twice its length. "Well, no wonder, he's hiding. Mertle, would you look inside and see if you can find him?" He held that hat in front of her; she looked inside.

"All I see is hat," she said.

"Well, maybe if you go inside and ask nicely, he might come out." Acula lifted the hat over her head, and the audience watched as it descended, engulfing her entire body.

"Hey, what's going on?" She said through the hat.

"Is he in there?" Acula asked.

"I can't see anything!" She yelled, "Let me out of here!"

"Oh, all right…" He lifted the hat up. A small rabbit began hopping about the stage. "Oh dear…" The audience laughed. "Well, it seems that we've found the rabbit but lost Mertle. No problem though, I can get her back in a jiffy." He lifted up the cup that he made reappear on the floor, and everyone saw that it had water in it. He drank it, swished it around in his mouth for a few second, and then swallowed it. He then pulled a rather large scarf from his pocket that seemed almost the size of a bed sheet, and dabbed his mouth with the end of it. "There we are, and now that my thirst is quenched it is time to bring our friend Mertle back;" he threw the large scarf aside, but instead of hitting the ground, and seemed to fall upon an invisible figure. A second after it settled, Acula whipped the scarf away, revealing Mertle.

"Wh…where am I—how did I get here?"

"Magic, of course." The audience clapped.

"Wow," Lilo said from backstage, "We didn't rehearse any of this…"

"And now, it is time for the grand finale of all spells." Lilo blinked.

"He hasn't even used the musical candles yet…what's he doing?"

"However, my magical energy is a bit tired as of tonight. So I will ask my assistants Lilo and Stitch to perform the last spell."

"That's our cue; let's go," Stitch handed Lilo her staff, and they both walked onto the stage. Acula disappeared. Lilo spoke, her face shadowed by her hood. "Ladies and gentlemen; tonight is the night where the realm of the dead is close at hand. Because of this, we will bring to you from that realm, a specter:" she held up her hands, and pulled the scroll from her sleeves. She began to read: "_Realm of the Living, Realm of the Dead;_" the candles in the room began to glow brighter, "_Moon in the Sky, Shadows on the Land;_" the audience began to murmur, "_On this night, All Hallows Eve; let our Worlds be Hand-in-Hand!_" She shouted the last word, and all fell silent—the candles went out, the windows burst open. A gale blew into the room. People began to stir and move, as a dark-red orb, floating in the air, began to grow in the middle of the room.


	7. Realm of the Undead

The Blue Werewolf

Part III: Spellsinger

©/By: Kenjaje

Chapter 7: Realm of the Undead

October 31st 10:23 PM

The room fell dim; as if the night sky from outside crawled through the windows and the doors, darkness spread. Only the candles shed the room with light. Their flames turned red, shrouding the audience in a dark-red haze. Throats were too clenched with wonder to make any sound at all.

The dark sphere in the center of the room began to grow; Lilo stumbled back and fell over the butt of her staff. Shadows started emerging from the sphere; people began to panic and shout.

"Everyone, this way!" Lilo heard Alex yell, and the audience started to heed his advice.

"L-Lilo…" Stitch muttered; she looked to him.

"What's going on?" She asked. The wind began to pick up; she watched as Stitch held his left hand by the wrist. She looked up into his eyes; dread fell upon his face. He opened his palm, and Lilo saw the paw print; the sign of the werewolf. Stitch winced and closed his palm; he appeared to be in pain. Lilo got to her feet to try and comfort him, but he pushed her away.

His hand began to grow like a balloon filling with air; within seconds it was four times its size. The clasp around his wrist loosened, and the growing surged down his arm. With each heartbeat it crawled down his arm to his elbow, and then to his shoulder. This bulbous limb rested limp upon the floor, and rather quickly his torso grew. His other arm snapped grotesquely to match, and then both of his legs, calves and then his feet.

His head formed last, next to the razor-like claws that sprouted from his finger- and toe-tips. His throat expanded, and with it his groans turned to bays. His chin and nose thrust forward into a snout, filled with sharp teeth, connected by strings of saliva. His eyes slid to the side of his face as it narrowed, and his ears shrank and tapered. Lastly, his stubby tail snaked to the ground, and then all at once his fur grew longer.

He stepped back after the transformation; his head crashed into the bar that held the lights over the stage. They smashed to the floor, and he stepped forward, but stumbled to dodge Lilo. His image reflected off her dilated pupils, gazing up at him without a shiver or blink; he looked away.

"You…went werewolf…" She said softly. "But you went a little over-board…" She stepped up closer and put a hand on his arm. He growled and shoved her away; she fell onto her rear. "Hey, what was that for?"

"Stitch…monster…" Lilo's heart quivered at the sound of his deep, thundering voice. Lilo hopped to her feet and ran around in front of him. He tried to turn away again.

"You stay!" She snapped; he paused. She looked at him, and then at the room. The audience was gone. The large sphere had stopped growing, but was getting brighter. "I think that thing has something to do with it…" She said, and put her small hand over his large index finger. "Don't worry; you're only big because of that thing…if we get it to go away maybe you'll go back to normal." She took her hand away and looked around. "Now where's Doctor Acula?" Stitch looked over at the glowing orb, and barely missed what he thought was a shadow dashing from it. He looked around, but saw nothing.

"Lilo…"

"There he is," she pointed across the room. A dark figure sat in a chair at the back. "Mister—doctor—Acula, what's going on?" She shouted, leaping off the stage. The dark figure rose into the air; Lilo stopped and held up her arm. "What the?" A shriek split the air, and the flying shadow rushed toward her; she stumbled backward, and the shadow caught her by the hood of her cloak. She screamed, and from behind her a massive paw gripped the shadow by the neck and threw it across the room. It splashed against the wall like water, and disappeared.

She looked above her to see Stitch's large arm. He sighed, ruffling her cloak, and set his arm against the ground gently.

"Why Stitch werewolf?" He asked with his disfigured voice.

"And what was that shadowy-thing…" Lilo said, walking toward him. "I don't know for sure, Stitch…it probably has something to do with that trick Acula was going to do—I think something went terribly wrong."

"Lilo!" She turned toward the sphere, and Stitch clutched another shadow. He squeezed, and it disappeared. "After Lilo," he said.

"Oh man—more of them are coming!" By the dozens shadows emerged from the sphere—all of them looking at Lilo. She backed up, and Stitch stepped in between her and them. Thirty charged. Stitch swung his claw; twelve were struck down, along with many chairs. Lilo screamed as more emerged, and several grabbed her by the cloak. She dropped her staff, and as they rushed toward the sphere, she wriggled from her costume, and rolled onto the floor.

Stitch scooped her into his giant paw, and swung again. Six more dispersed into vapor; they started getting through. He held Lilo against his side, and sent his foot crashing down. They scattered, but some were caught in the sheer force of wind. For every shadow felled, three more took its place.

"There's no end to these things," Stitch sensed the fear in her.

"_Naga _worry," his voice bellowed, "Stitch protect," he howled, and spun-swiped; the shadows jumped upon him.

"Stitch!" He covered Lilo, and the shadows began clawing his back. He yipped; she squeezed a clump of his fur and winced each time. _"Why are they after me?" _She thought, red light streaming across her face as Stitch struggled to keep her sealed inside his arms. _"For that matter what in the _heck _is going on?" _She felt something cold around her leg; her eyes darted down.

Stitch was forced to rise up. Lilo saw in the brief moment before he caught onto her fleeting, outreached hand, that the shadows had somehow formed into a dark rope that coiled around his neck and attached to the ceiling, pulling his torso upward. She floated in the air for just a heartbeat, and then his left hand snapped out and clasped hers. The rope around his neck pulled. His breath wheezed; each intake was more labored than the last. The longer he held on, the more he was being choked. Her hand slipped, but he held on again; the grip was fading.

"Stitch," she said softly, her breath staggered. His eyes opened, and he pulled his neck forward as much as he could to see her. "Don't worry." Their eyes met; hers were frightened. Her hand slipped, passing over the mark on his palm before she was pulled into the sphere. He pushed forward, trying once more to get her, but the dark band coiled around his neck pulled him into the air, and slammed him into the ceiling; there he stayed, and watched as the sphere disappeared. As soon as it was gone, the choke around him dissipated. He slammed into the ground, breaking the wood.

"Lilo…" he managed to speak. He sat up, and looked around the room. The red aura was gone; the candles burned gently against the walls. A dark-purple light glowed on the far wall. At first he thought it was the sphere again, but to his dismay it was only his mark. As it glowed, his body shrank. He looked into a broken mirror at the back of the stage. He was at his normal height, but his werewolf features remained; his ears were short and pointed, his lips pulled out into a muzzle, and his fur was long and a little a shagged. His long tail came into a view at his feet, and his claws glinted in the candlelight—but disappeared as he retracted them. He looked down at the mark on his left palm, and balled it into a fist.

"My word…" Stitch growled and turned on impulse at the voice her heard; Doctor Acula stood at the entrance of the room. Stitch's right foot stepped forward. "Don't be alarmed, my fine lycanthrope."

"What have you done?" Stitch growled, bearing his teeth.

"I have not done anything. It seems our little seer had more capacity than I anticipated."

"Where is Lilo?"

"If you will relax," Stoker said with agitation, "I will answer you, Stitch." The blue werewolf growled a moment more, and then slowly dropped his arms.

"Answer me." His voice was fierce and much clearer than his normal one. "Where is Lilo?"

"There are two realms, Stitch—you _are _the ceiling-walker dog, yes?" Stitch said nothing. "Very well—regardless; there are two realms: the living and the undead. You've no doubt heard the legend behind this All Hallows Eve: it is the time when these two realms are closest to each other." He walked to the center of the room, and examined the deep impressions of Stitch's stomp as he finished. "You no doubt understand what I'm getting at—your friend is in the undead realm."

"She wouldn't be there if it wasn't for your trick!" Stitch leapt into the air and landed before Stoker, pointing a claw at him.

"For someone who struggled with speaking before during that commotion you sure have got a fine tongue _now_, don't you?" Stitch growled. "Silence—we're wasting time. Would you like your friend back or would rather she be trapped in the realm of the undead forever?" Stitch took a step back. "I thought as much." He said, and walked to a candle at the side of the wall; he plucked it from the holder and went back to set it on the ground in the middle of the room.

"I will open a portal to the other realm for you," he said as he pulled a small jar from his coat-pocket.

"You are no magician."

"However keen the observation, it's irrelevant." Stoker opened the jar and dipped his index and middle fingers into it. "Magic is a very real thing my friend. Though our seer was faking the spells she caste upon you," he placed his fingers on the ground, in front of him, "she _can _indeed bend magic." He traced a circle around the candle.

"How?" Stoker paused, and looked up. His smile raised Stitch's hackles.

"However insightful the answer, it's irrelevant." He looked back down and traced a star around the candle without lifting his fingers until it was complete. He stood, raised his hands, and spoke: "_Realm of the Living, Realm of the Dead;_ _Moon in the Sky, Shadows on the Land; On this night, All Hallows Eve; let our Worlds be Hand-in-Hand._" Just as gently and calmly as he spoke the spell, a dark circle rippled into the air. It reflected them and the candle, but nothing else.

"How do I know you're leading me to her?" Stitch asked.

"Something relevant," Stoker smiled. "Because, my friend, it is my fault that she is in the other realm. And yet I cannot go in my own portal, or else it will disappear, like hers had done. So it is up to you to get her back…from whatever untold horrors she may endure." Stitch growled at him. "Wasting time again. Might I remind you that my powers are weak from the magic show? I should hope to keep this portal up for an hour at best, and after that no passage is possible—especially at midnight, as the worlds would merge if any passage were open." Stitch fell silent. He didn't trust Stoker, and yet he had no choice. Regardless of what was happening, Lilo needed to be saved, and Stoker's portal was better than scratching at the walls.

Without a word, Stitch bounded into the rippling wall.


	8. Flame of the Fox

The Blue Werewolf

Part III: Spellsinger

©/By: Kenjaje

Chapter 8: Flame of the Fox

October 31st 10:54 PM

It felt like passing through a film of plastic, or water; tension of the surface pressed in a line all around his body. As he charged through, he instantly felt a pull that sent him flying through the air, and skidding across the dirt. He opened his eyes; a blood-red sky caused his head to ache from the glare. He flipped over, onto all fours. He gazed about the area.

The land was charcoal black with shades of brown or red; in the distance trees rippled against the horizon. The sky bore no clouds or sun. He heard a flutter to his left, and witnessed a black bird, as large as he, take to the air. It was oddly warm, and quiet; not a bug nor bird nor any life chirped, whispered or otherwise made a sound. More importantly to him: there was no sign of Lilo.

_An hour at best_. Stitch closed his eyes, and scented the air. Rot, decay, mold; the rancid smells of death and degradation filled his forehead—she stood out so easily. He clutched the only rope to her he had and sprinted forth;

The cracks of the dried earth twisted by; with each step the hard dirt slammed against his paw. After several minutes, his wrists and ankles began to ache from the colliding forces.

Silence; for the realm of the dead, the air was warm, the sky was calm, and there were no signs of ghouls, much less anything more ghastly. But there was something—every now and again, a shadow would pass by with a great speed, like a bird flying overhead.

Stitch looked up every time he spotted one, but there were no animals in the sky. Over time, he noticed the shadows' frequency increased. At first few and long moments between, now there were three or four at a time, almost constantly flicking across the ground. He stopped.

The shadows froze only a second later. Five, he counted. They were obliquely shaped; two were round, one was small and narrower, and the other two were circular. He looked around—no source. _Run! _His instincts flared, pulsing to his feet. The shadows chased him, and in only a moment were right beside him—surrounded him.

They began to rise out of the ground, taking on a third dimension. The round ones sprouted wings and flew; the narrow one ran on four legs like him, and the circles were human-shaped with a head and shoulders, and floated above the ground. They kept in pace with him idly, but then all at once moved closer.

The canine to the left of him snapped; he dodged. The human to his right clutched the back of his neck; he rose and swiped; it fell. The flyers, which Stitch had almost forgotten about, came into focus. They were much larger than when they first rose from the ground. The first dove, and he swiped it down. The second one took the opening and clasped around his shoulders, pushing its talons into his skin.

He winced as he was carried into the air. The other blurry shadows raced along below him. His arms began to tingle, and then burn. As he was carried, he started to swing. The flyer lurched and tried to adjust to his motion, but soon lost. He swung aggressively, pain shooting through his shoulders, and his legs came up and wrapped around the flyer's neck. He pulled, and felt his insides slam against the wall of his body. He flipped over, and landed with the flyer under him, slamming it on the hard ground. Its talons released, and he leapt off, to greet the rest of the shadows—plus one more.

There were three human-shaped shadows now—another one had joined. The canine struck at him. He backed away, dodging each snap. It leapt high into the air, and fell quickly toward him. He clutched his snout as it fell, and slammed it into the ground.

The other shadows stared; Stitch stepped back, a little tired. A thin trail of dried blood traced a line from a hole the talons had cut. The canine slowly rose. It was clear to Stitch the shadows meant harm, and somehow he was compelled to feel the same. As the shadow rose, he took it by the snout, and raked his claws through its neck—there was no blood, or any other sign of that sort. The black shadow, in fact, had no facial features. It was just a living shadow—and even with its severed head, the shadow still lived.

The body of the canine rose, to mimic Stitch's two-legged form. Its hands swiped at him, and struck his right shoulder. Stitch felt three lines of pain rip into his flesh. The head tumbled to the ground. The shadow picked it up, and placed it back where it belonged. Stitch wasted no time to recover to his feet, and the shadows wasted naught either.

From behind, he heard a screech; a flyer swooped down. He jumped and dug his claws into its chest, and threw it down to the other shadows. He noticed that these beings had little weight—little defense. He could claw through them with ease—but their strength was apparently invincibility.

The shadows moved aside to let the flyer crash to the ground. The humans raced forth, flying toward him. They showed no arms or legs, like specters hiding in cloaks. As they neared, those cloaks broke away, and wing-like arms swiped at him. He caught one, twisted it around and used it to cut into the shadow; a second slashed his back, and he howled. The third met his rage; he leapt upon it, and slashed at its dark face several times before the canine tackled him away. He wrestled with the beastly shadow, rolling across the ground. It stopped on top of him, and tried to bite into his neck; he held it by the throat, staving the black fangs just inches from his neck.

He struggled; the shadow was somehow pushing through his strength. Every second its teeth were closer—closer. Stitch yelled a battle cry, turned to the side, and his lower arm shot from his side. The shadow paused; his hand, balled into a fist, stuck out from the shadow's back. His arm was painfully cold.

The canine seemed to stare at him, almost perplexedly. Stitch threw the shadow off, sucking his arm back into his side, and almost immediately the canine snapped back to life, growling at him. He stood, but barely; something was wrong. His strength seemed to be fading. Seven shadows now, all surrounding him. He growled, and poised for the attack—and watched as one of the shadows burst into a blue flame. It seemed to writhe and howl—it was a specter. It rose into the air, as if trying to escape the flame, but ultimately burned away. Stitch looked around—but saw nothing.

Another shadow, and yet another, fell to the blue embers. Were they losing strength too, he wondered. As if to answer his question, another creature leapt over a shadow, and into the circle, standing beside him. The four shadows that remained turned to the new arrival and leapt onto it. Stitch watched as the creature was encased in a dark mass that writhed and festered for several moments—and then fell silent. He stepped forward, raising his claw, poised. The dark mass slowly burned away.

As the blue tongues licked across the shadow, the creature was revealed; a red fox with a long, bushy, white-tipped tail shook off the flecks of burning darkness. Its head was the last to be freed, and revealed the white-tipped ears and deep blue eyes of its face. It closed its eyes, slowly turned its body to face Stitch, and then opened them. Stitch met the fox's gaze, and failed to react to its charge. It tackled him, pinning his arms, and opened its small mouth. Before Stitch could react, a blue spark turned into an ember, and shot toward his neck. He felt nothing. The fox stepped off of him. As he got up, he felt his neck for the flame, and a dark clump of shadow fell to the ground.

"You should be more careful." The fox advised. Its voice was stern, but calm.

"Who are you?" Stitch growled. The fox blinked.

"You should also be thankful to those who save you from becoming a Shadow." Stitch looked at the fox's feet for a second.

"Sorry." He finally said.

"You have no hope of saving your friend without magic." Stitch's eyes pulsed.

"You know Lilo?" The fox sat down. "How?"

"You mean the True-Hearted girl? _Everyone _in this realm knows of any True of Heart." Stitch growled.

"What do you want with her?" The fox closed his eyes.

"I myself have no intention of harming her, my fair werewolf—which shouldn't be one." Stitch stared at the fox. "_…Shall I, True of Heart, set all werewolves free…_" he muttered; "It must not have occurred to you yet that even though you were cured you're now, once again, a werewolf." Stitch blinked. "Don't you wish to know why?"

"I don't care." Stitch said gruffly, "I just want to find Lilo and take her home." The fox seemed to smile.

"Very well—but know that there could be more at hand than you're aware." The fox stood. "Come with me." It turned and began to walk—Stitch didn't follow. It looked back at him. "Come with me." It spoke slowly.

"I don't trust you." The fox's tail twitched.

"Fine with me—that's probably best. Now follow me."

"You could be leading me into a trap."

"Listen here werewolf," the fox growled—for the first time, "You may be strong, but you can't save her on your own. The Shadows can't be eliminated by sheer force—only magic. We're not in the living realm anymore, your rules don't apply." Stitch took a few steps forward.

"Where is she?"

"In the shadows, of course."

"Why did they take her?"

"I thought you didn't care." Stitch's anger surged, but he suppressed it. They walked slowly toward a dead forest.

"We need to hurry; I have to get her back quickly."

"Patience, werewolf; we, you and I, are in the world of the undead. Being living creatures, we stick out wonderfully."

"No one is here."

"The Shadows."

"But the other undead—vampires, monsters, ghosts…"

"Are Shadows in this world. Did you think that the realm of the undead would be filled with them?" Stitch nodded, but the fox didn't look back. "Here, all those things are shadows—invincible. When they go into your world, they become such things as ghouls and vampires, and pray on the living."

"What about you?" The fox chuckled.

"I make sure nothing like your friend getting captured ever happens."

"Wh—"

"Quiet; we're here." Stitch looked about; the forest was filled with leafless trees and rotting stumps; smelled of mold and decay. Before them stood a giant dead tree, with a large hole cut into the trunk, and a small hook at the top of the hole held a lantern upon it; the fox stared at the lantern, and a blue flame began to rise inside. "Inside the tree, we'll be taken to the place where the Shadows dwell; they'll be waiting for us. I must ask though—are you afraid?"

"Lilo's in danger; I don't have time to be afraid." The fox blinked.

"Whether you're human-werewolf or dog-, you care for this frail little human far too much."

"She's my friend," he replied, adding, "And I'm not a human or a dog."

"What on Earth are you then?"

"_Miga _alien," he replied, and charged toward the tree.


	9. Only a Rescue

The Blue Werewolf

Part III: Spellsinger

©/By: Kenjaje

Chapter 9: Only A Rescue

October 31st 11:31 PM

He felt cold as he passed into the darkness of the tree. Instead of the inner hollow, he arrived into a very a dark and wooded place, with dim lanterns hanging from gnarled boughs. Almost as soon as his foot stepped onto the stoned path, it was clutched by the hand of a Shadow. He ripped his foot into the air; the shadow flew into the sky. It erupted into flame.

"I told you they'd be on us," the fox said.

"If I can't make them go away why'd you bring me here?" Another Shadow sprang from the ground; Stitch slashed at it three times, tearing into its form. As it floated in shreds, it burst into flames.

"Your strength weakens them enough that I can take them out without much effort," the fox replied. "Magic is of energy; you get tired from it after a while. Now let's go." The fox darted ahead. Several shadows sprang into the air, all after Stitch. He dodged their blows and countered; after his claws dove into each one, they receded. "Don't worry," the fox said, "They're trying to stay away; they know I can harm them."

Onward they charged, fox in the lead. The path seemed linear, with very slight curves. It threaded between hills, and over at least one small stream. The Shadows grew quickly in number; they focused their attacks on the fox rather than Stitch. After they had crossed the bridge, several swarmed the fox; Stitch leapt into the air, slashed at three; he landed on the ground on the other side of the fox, and leapt into the air again, crossing once more.

A shadow got through; the fox rolled to the side. Stitch slammed down on the dark mass and bit into it. He backed away when it was burned. They continued. Over the large hill to his right, Stitch saw a tall mansion.

"Stay on the path," the fox advised, apparently aware of Stitch's observance. Stitch heeded the fox's words. The shadows became more of a threat. Now they came almost continuously, and several began making contact with Stitch and the fox. Stitch was hardly scratched, but each time the fox was hit, he was visibly wounded. Stitch began taking blows for the fox.

But soon the shadows would overwhelm them; Stitch was getting frustrated. The fox hardly caste any magic, and yet that was the only thing that defeated them; was he just wasting energy for nothing? There had to be another way to fend the shadows off. He looked for something—anything. They passed a lantern slung onto a bough; Stitch noticed the shadows thinned in the radius of the light. _There_.

He quickly leapt onto the tree and scaled the bough, snatched the lantern in his foot and tossed it to his hand. He landed near the fox, which was dodging left and right, and held the lantern into the air. The shadows waned.

"_Agata!_" Stitch taunted.

"Look out behind you!" The fox shouted. Stitch turned; the whole mass of Shadows erupted from that direction. "Throw the lantern!" Stitch complied. "I told you; the rules in your world don't apply." The fox said as they ran, "These shadows don't weaken in light, it only changes their direction to _behind _you," The mansion was close in sight. "The True of Heart is in there—most likely."

"Most _likely_?" The doors to the mansion thundered open as Stitch charged in; the left frame was thrown into the room and the right slammed to the wall and cracked. Shadows surrounded them, and for the first time Stitch's heart skipped a beat. The Shadows quickly moved in.

Stitch growled, and as the Shadows moved closer, he began to attack. Each shadow he sent into shreds burned one-by-one, but three more took its place. He threw out his second set of arms, and in a flurry of glinting claws slashed and blocked until his limbs went numb.

"We're not doing anything!" He shouted; as if in answer, he saw a bright blue light emerge from the sea of darkness. The Shadows that came into contact disappeared; some started to run, but were too slow. As Stitch watched the Shadows disappear, he felt the air around him take on warmth. The light faded, and the fox staggered from the origin.

"Hurry, find her…" He muttered. Stitch sniffed the air; she was just ahead. Up the stairs through a set of doors; Stitch broke through them. Lilo looked up from the corner of the room, her eyes frozen; all she could see was a dark figure.

"Don't be scared," Stitch growled, stepping forward.

"I said leave me alone you monsters!" She shouted, her voice badly frightened; Stitch balked.

"M-monster?"

"If you monsters keep here any longer, pretty soon my friend is gonna come and kick your butts!"

"_Miga…_monster?" Lilo blinked; her face flooded with color.

"Stitch?" She asked. He stepped into the room, only to be tackled by her. "_Stitch!_" She said, with a weight of relief. She hugged him tightly. "The Shadows—there's tons of them, we have to get out of here," she said, shivering in his arms.

"Don't worry, we'll get you out of here." He picked her up and placed her on his back; she wrapped her arms and legs around him.

"We?" She asked, as he ran into the vestibule. She saw the fox, standing in the room; he was panting heavily. "_You!_" She shouted.

"Hello again, True of Heart." The fox said.

"Can we get out of here? We don't have much time…"

"Don't worry, there's a shorter way out, we just have to get to it before—" From the room Lilo was being held, a flood of darkness crashed down the stairs. Lilo screamed, and Stitch felt her grip loosen. He locked his upper arms around her wrists and his lower arms around her ankles. "Let's go!" Through the dark haze, Stitch could barely see the fox, but nonetheless he was able to follow.

Out of the mansion they ran through the smog, guided only by the fox. Several moments passed, and they managed to breach the edge of the haze.

"Shouldn't we stay and fight this thing?" Lilo asked.

"_Ih_! I want to fight," Stitch growled.

"Don't be foolish, this is only a rescue—nothing more. It would be impossible to take on the source of that cloud." Stitch saw a fork in the road; the fox turned right. Rather quickly they passed a stream, and only seven yards ahead a tree similar to the one they had come into this world from rested at the end of the path. The fox paused, and lowered his head. He staggered back, and a small blue flame grew in the candle. "Hurry," he beckoned them to run through. Lilo looked back; the fog coming, a dense layer of it already consuming their feet.

She winced as she was brought into the blood-red light. Stitch paused and turned back, to watch the fox make it through, and extinguish the flame; what little smog made it through dissipated.

"There, we're safe—now to get you home." Stitch looked into the distance, and spotted the dark circle.

"I see it!"

"See what?" Both Lilo and the fox asked.

"No time—it's fading!" Stitch took off with Lilo. The fox, somewhat weary, tried to keep up.

"Stitch where are we going?" Lilo asked.

"Doctor Acula made a portal for me to rescue you—he said I only had an hour. If we don't make it, we're trapped here." The portal came into Lilo's focus.

"It is fading…it's almost gone." They were nearing it quickly but with each step it seemed to disappear. "Stitch," they were ten yards away, "It's gonna disappear!" She hugged him close, "We're not gonna make it!"

"You will," he muttered. Lilo felt her weight go to her head as she was held upside-down. Stitch gripped her by the ankles and right arm; she started to stammer his name, and yelled when she was sent flying through the air. The portal flickered before her, and just as it looked like she was going to pass it and slam into the ground, it came back to life, and she sailed through. It faded once more, and a moment later Stitch passed the spot where it had been, only to see the blood-red horizon.

He sat on the ground and stared at the cracks. A minute later, the fox finally arrived.

"She's safe." Stitch said. He closed his eyes. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, but…" The fox laid down, "Don't you realize that…you're trapped here now?" Stitch sighed.

"Better me than Lilo." He replied.

"Well…actually, you _will _be able to see her again—but it will be next Halloween." Stitch opened his eyes.

"Why next Halloween?"

"That is when the two worlds—your world and this world—are close enough to open a portal. Right now, it's almost midnight, and so the worlds are closest—then after this hour the worlds will be thrown apart."

"Wait," Stitch said, "If both worlds are still close, why can't I go through a portal?" The fox laid his head down.

"Because if a portal were to open _now_, there is a chance that both worlds could merge into one." Stitch tilted his head.

"What happens then?"

"Well…first the worlds would collide into one another…and then the Shadows would cross over. At first they would remain Shadows, but then…they would turn into the monsters that everyone is so familiar with." The fox's tail twitched. "Perpetual night would ensue. The only way to end it would be to tear the worlds apart…but that would take an extreme amount of magi—"

"Wait…what's that?" The fox looked at Stitch, and saw him pointing into the air. He looked in the direction, and abruptly stood and growled. A sphere hung in the air, and Stitch recognized the room of the dance school.

"Someone…is about to merge the worlds…"


	10. The Merge

The Blue Werewolf

Part III: Spellsinger

©/By: Kenjaje

Chapter 10: The Merge

October 31st 11:54 PM

"You will," Stitch muttered. Lilo felt her weight go to her head as she was held upside-down; her eyes spun to the top of her head and she stared at the dry-cracked ground. Stitch altered her position a second later, his right hand clasped her ankles and his left held her right arm, balancing her. She looked at him and started to stammer his name.

His arms pulled back just a little, and he planted his foot; she felt the lurch of his stop, and then her guts slammed into her feet; she screamed as she flew into the air. She watched the portal fade and return, like a flickering light. It turned off again, and she pictured the ground rising to slap her in the face. The black, rippling circle flashed back to life and as she passed through, her flight was abruptly stopped.

She twirled in limbo, spiraling upward until she fanned her limbs to stop. She felt as if she was drifting in a pool. The still current of this world-between began to change and pull her downward; she looked to her feet, and saw a light that consumed the darkness almost instantly. She closed her eyes, and everything stopped.

"Ah…you have returned, young Seer." She opened her eyes; Stoker smiled at her.

"Doctor Acula…" Lilo muttered, and looked around, "Where…did Stitch make it?" She turned away and called his name, looking about the room.

"I am afraid that you are the only one who came through, little Seer." Lilo turned to Stoker, as if she had just noticed him.

"Where's the portal; why is it gone?"

"I am afraid that the portal I created could only last an hour." Lilo's face grew pale.

"So Stitch is…trapped in that other world?"

"I'm afraid so. I offered to send him to the other world to rescue you, and specifically told him I would not be able to keep the portal up for long." Stoker dusted his coat. Lilo balled a fist, a little angry at his calm gestures.

"Is…there something else we can do…to get him back?" She asked through slightly gritted teeth. Stoker smiled again.

"Maybe," he said straightforwardly. "If I recall, it was you who opened up the way into the other world first and caused those shadows to cross over." Lilo stepped back.

"M-me?—I did that?"

"You were the one that read the spell." Lilo's eyes dropped to the floor.

"So you're saying it's all my fault Stitch is trapped in the other world." Stoker frowned.

"Why…no, my dear," Stoker said dropping to one knee. "On the contrary; it shows that your magic has great potential; you can open the portal again."

"Magic…me?" She pointed to herself, "What the heck are you talking about."

"Come, come," Stoker clapped his hands, "there's no time to explain now. Let us rescue your friend, the hour is midnight and very soon you will not get another chance."

"Okay, okay…what do I do to get Stitch back?"

"Simple: cast the spell you read on the scroll again. Do you remember?" Lilo looked at the smeared chalk on the ground.

"I…I think so…" She took in a breath, and closed her eyes; she raised her palms in front of her, and began the chant: "_Realm of the Living, Realm of the Dead;_ _Moon in the Sky, Shadows on the Land; On this night, All Hallows Eve; let our Worlds be Hand-in-Hand_."

Her heart thudded after her words, and shook as a great wind erupted in the room. Just as before, a sphere formed into the air, and gave off a blood-red light. As it grew by the second, she could see Stitch and the fox; they were staring into the sphere back at her.

"Stitch!" She shouted brushing her hair aside, "Come through!" She saw him turn to the fox, and then back to her. The fox stepped by his side, and both of them jumped out of the sphere and into the room.

"Lilo!" Stitch exclaimed. She called his name back, and embraced him.

"You fool!" The fox shouted at her, "Do you know what you've done?" Lilo's eyes pulsed.

"I…I was trying to get Stitch out of that other place," she explained. "Doctor Acula said that I could use my magic to open it up and get Stitch to come through."

"And you did a fine job, my little Seer." All three looked toward the deep and menacing voice that echoed through the air. "You have managed to open a portal strong enough to merge your realm with the undead." Stoker stepped toward the portal—a dark cloud began to flow from it. "Thanks to you, I now have the power to rule _both _worlds…" He reached toward the smog.

"Everyone get _down!_" The fox yelled, and jumped in front of the magician, buffering him from the werewolf and his friend. Lilo winced as a bright red light flared into the room; she felt Stitch's arms cover her. The earth trembled, and she heard a nerve-shattering scream; she was compelled to open her eyes.

Stoker was becoming clouded by the opaque darkness; it covered over his hand, his arm, and wrapped around the back of his head. The red light flared again, but this time Lilo kept her eyes open just a sliver. Blue fires burned flying debris as the earth shook; the light flared again and Lilo was forced to bury herself into Stitch's arms. The tremors began to subside quickly, and the shrill sound of distant screams faded. The air shattered with one last tremble, and the sound of breaking wood echoed through the air. Lilo glanced out her right eye, to see the barren and decayed world of the undead through one wall of the dance school that had been torn away.

Stitch let go of Lilo and ran out of the busted wall. Lilo dropped to her knees as she saw him run toward a large silhouette that had just started to take flight. Stitch, a silhouette himself, leapt onto the flying monster.

The air was still as Lilo watched them disappear; her mouth hung open and her head buzzed. The fox stepped in front of her vision, catching her attention after a moment. As she met its eyes, he said flatly,

"Did I not tell you to be careful of the spells you cast?" She closed her eyes and looked to the ground.

"You're the one from my dream." She stated.

"There are only nightmares." He replied.

"What's going on?" She shouted angrily. "Why is Stitch a werewolf; why is Doctor Acula a monster; _why am I casting magic_?" The fox sat.

"Why do you want to know?" Lilo shook her head.

"I want to help Stitch…" she muttered, somewhat distantly.

"Then run off and try to help him. I can't stop you; I tried once and it hurt my shin." Lilo's eyes blinked open; she stared at the fox.

"A—Alex?"

"Lilo." He replied. "Or should I say, True of Heart." Lilo blinked again.

"How…do you know about that?"

"Lilo," Alex said gently, "to be a True of Heart is not something uncommon. All you need is to be able to empathize with any of the undead…or in your case, a werewolf." She stared blankly. "Well, it's not as common as I'm making it out to be…"

"What's going to happen to Stitch?" Alex's snout shut for a moment.

"He's about to go up against a very powerful person—apparently, a corrupt True of Heart is able to control the Shadows."

"Doctor Acula is…a True-Hearted?" Alex stepped forward and sat in front of Lilo.

"So it seems. He had the desire to control the Shadows—just as skillfully as you controlled the werewolves last year." A memory flashed by Lilo. Stitch, and dozens of other werewolves, fought each other in the middle of the street. She yelled for them to stop—and all at once they looked at her, and heeded her command. "It's making sense now isn't it?"

"Yeah…" she said, and dropped her head. "All I can do is boss werewolves around. I'm just a True-Hearted. I can't do anything to help Stitch." She looked up, and Alex's bright blue eyes stared her down. "W…what'd I say?"

"Spellsinger," he whispered. Lilo backed away just a bit, scooting over the wood.

"Spellsinger?" She repeated, a little frightened.

"A True of Heart is any mortal who empathizes with the realm of the undead. But…when a True of Heart finds a deeper feeling…" Alex skipped back and lowered his head; Lilo saw his eyes light up. A blue sphere formed in front of his face, and as it reached the size of a baseball, flew toward her. She scrambled back, and lifted an arm above her head. A foot before the sphere even reached her; a flash of light overcame Lilo's vision. The sphere was gone, and Alex stood upright, the look of a smile on his snout. "They gain a magical aura…" He met her eyes, and a sense of warmth fell over her. "And those with strong magic are known as Spellsingers."


	11. Magic

The Blue Werewolf

Part III: Spellsinger

©/By: Kenjaje

Chapter 11: Magic

"You mean…" Lilo rested on one knee, "I'm…a Spellsinger?"

"Yes." The fox replied.

"When did _that _happen?"

"Recall the night one year ago, when you rested on your knees alone in the streets, surrounded by dozens of werewolves?" Lilo nodded. "_Shall I, True of Heart, set all Werewolves free._" He said. Lilo blinked. "That was your very first spell."

"But…I didn't mean to cast that—and I haven't casted any spells before now."

"Of course you haven't—doesn't anyone get it yet? These things happen near and on the night of All Hallows Eve—when the two realms are closest."

"Realms?" Lilo repeated.

"Hm…perhaps you weren't informed." The fox began to walk away; Lilo followed at a distance. "Right now, the realm of the living and realm of the dead are merged. This is because they become close on this night—close enough for this to happen. After midnight (when the realms are closest), provided they aren't merged, they are thrown apart and don't come together for another year." The fox began to dig into a pile of debris.

"So what do we do?" Lilo asked.

"_You _must try to close the link, and sever the worlds."

"M…me?" Lilo pointed to herself. Alex nodded.

"It will take an enormous amount of effort to sever the realms—an effort that only you, as a Spellsinger, can manage." Lilo stepped forward.

"You keep saying I'm a Spellsinger—I've got magic; even if I am, I haven't seen it do anything very powerful, and I also don't know how to use it." The fox dipped his head into the pile of debris, and pulled out a piece of fabric in his teeth.

"That's why I'm going to teach you," he said, tossing the fabric at Lilo. "Recover your cloak and staff. A Spellsinger should have proper equipment." Lilo looked at the cloak in her arms.

"My costume; what could will that do?" Alex picked up her staff in his muzzle, and brought before her, dropping it at her feet.

"Do you think I would be so bland as to make you wear a _costume_?" Lilo slipped her cloak on, and picked up her staff. "The cloak will hide some of your movements and protect your skin from coming into direct contact with spells that may hit you."

"Spells that'll hit me?" She said with pulsing eyes.

"The staff is capable of enduring great magical pressure, making it possible to focus your spells, block other spells, and come into contact with direct magic without so much as shaving a splinter."

"You make it sound like I'm going up against something that could hurt me…"

"My young Spellsinger—you are!" Lilo screamed as a burst of fire shot toward her; she covered her face with her cloak and raised her staff. After a second, she peeked out. The ball of fire hovered in front of her, and slowly dissipated. "Are you scared?"  
"What the _heck _are you doing?"

"You want to learn how to use your magic don't you?" Lilo gripped her staff and stared. "You want to sever the ties between the realms, don't you?" Her eyelids lowered and she looked at her weapon. "You want to save your friend…don't you?" Lilo gripped her staff. "Stitch is a strong werewolf, but Doctor Acula knows magic; in a battle of muscle against magic, no muscle has much of a chance."

"I want to help…" She said, her hands trembling, "But…I'm scared…"

"You won't be much help if you're scared." Alex lowered his head. "Attack me; use magic." Lilo stepped back.

"I don't want to hurt you—"

"You wont't."

"What do I say?"

"Nothing—just hide your fears and will a spell." Lilo took in a breath and raised her hand. It quivered for a moment, and balled a fist to relax. When she opened her hand, she tried to focus on one thing—she closed her eyes and thought of Scruff. She felt a tingling in her veins as she relaxed, and when she felt comfortable she opened her eyes. In her hand, a bright red ball began to form. She flinched, surprised at its presence, and it dropped to the ground, erupting as it hit the wood. She stamped it out.

"Hmm…not bad." The fox muttered.

"Not bad?—I almost lit the whole place on fire."

"Don't worry about that. Now this time, don't drop your focus; do the same exact thing as before, but this time pretend like your throwing the spell like a baseball." Lilo nodded, and raised her hand again, closing her eyes. She relaxed more quickly, and when she opened her eyes, the orb in her hand remained stable, floating a few inches from her palm. She brought her arm back, and watched her shadow grow longer as she did. Her arm went forward, and the ball of fire roared through the air. She stepped back as it flared and vanished before the fox, afraid he would be hurt.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

"I'm fine." He replied. "And you are progressing well—but you still have a long way to go."

"At this rate it'll take forever—Stitch is in trouble and needs my help _now_!"

"Don't work yourself up," Alex said calmly. "And don't worry; you'll pick up on casting more quickly than you think. Part of being a Spellsinger is your latent awareness of your own power. Once you're conscious of what you're doing, you'll be able to live up to your title."

"Live up to my title?" Alex nodded.

"You are called _Spellsinger _because your spells will be so focused and precise that it's almost lyrical. Your strength doesn't lie in the power of your spells, but that you have great control over magic itself."

"You mean…my magic isn't very strong?"

"Oh no—it's very strong. Now be ready!" The fox twirled, and from his tail shot three embers; Lilo stepped back and let them dissipate in front of her. "Don't rely on your magical aura to dissipate spells, Lilo. Stronger magic won't dissipate; you _must _learn to counter spells that are thrown at you."

"How do I do that?" She asked.

"You don't need to ask me," he replied, "You already know." He spun again; several flares erupted this time. She stepped back, and three dissipated, but the rest remained and began to fly toward her. Impulsively, she slammed the heel of her staff onto the ground; a wind surrounded her, and the embers died. "Very good."

"I don't know what I did…"

"Because you relied on impulse—don't worry, with enough stress, you'll be conscious of what you can do." He spun again, and several stationary embers floated in the air; they began spitting smaller embers at her. She tapped her staff on the ground as they neared, sending wind to extinguish the flames. But the origins kept spitting more at her.

_"Maybe if I catch the balls instead of extinguishing them, I can fire them back at the big ones…" _She raised her hand, and imagined halting the soaring embers. They stopped as if by command, and migrated to her palm. The farthest embers did not escape the gravity of her will. Like a magnet, the embers simply gathered in front of her, until it was the size of a bowling ball. Without even moving her hand back to throw, she imagined pushing it. Like a bullet, it shot toward the origins and consumed them. The fox dodged the sphere, and let it erupt against the wall.

"Very good Spellsinger. Now you know what you're doing."

"I can control it—all I have to do is focus and imagine it, right?"

"Is that how it's done?" The fox replied.

"You mean you don't know?" She said with surprise.

"How should I? _I'm _not a Spellsinger." Lilo sighed, and gripped her staff with both hands.

"Can I go now? I feel ready."

"You'll be running into another shin—trust me, you're not." Lilo gritted her teeth. "Be careful…don't cast spells with anger. I have told you once, and I have told you three other times—_be careful of the spells you cast_."

"What do you mean?" Alex shot an ember at her; she deflected it with her hand.

"Magic can sometimes have its recoils." He said, throwing another ember; she caught it on her staff, and began bouncing it into the air like a toy. "If you strain yourself, it's just like pulling a muscle—it'll hurt." She swung at the ember, and watched it fly out of the broken wall into the distance.

"Okay…I'll keep that in mind." She said.

"Good." An aura of blue fire erupted around the fox. Lilo shielded her eyes, her own magical aura flaring brightly like the edge of a bubble around her. "And now, Spellsinger, it's time for you to prepare yourself." She relaxed, and placed the heel of her staff lightly on the wooden floor.

"Bring it on."


	12. Shadow

The Blue Werewolf

Part III: Spellsinger

©/By: Kenjaje

Chapter 12: Shadow

Stitch watched as Doctor Acula was surrounded in the smog; he didn't quite understand what was happening to the strange magician, but he knew the result was something evil. As the smog settled around the magician's form, he took on the guise of a Shadow; his fingers were clawed, and throughout his figure there was no contrast or feature. The only thing distinctively different: his eyes took on the blood-red color of the sky. As the smog closed around his back, wings formed, complemented by a bright red light, and then the sphere at his fingertips seemed to burst like a bubble, causing another flare of light.

All this time he held Lilo close, shielding her in case something penetrated the defense the fox seemed to generate; a thin blue dome surrounded them, and anything that came into contact was burned. Stitch felt an immense pressure—not air, but something different. He felt it deep in his spine, and made his nerves tingle like static. The now-enshadowed Acula thrust his palm forward; the wall of the Aloha dance school tore away like cardboard, and he ran outside, charging to take flight.

Stitch's werewolf instinct commanded him to follow. He left Lilo—_"She'll be safe,"_—and charged after Acula; the demonic shadow began to flap its wings and take flight. Stitch leapt into the air and grappled onto the Shadow's back; it twirled and tried to throw him off, but Stitch's claws dug into its skin. Into the air they flew; the Shadow struggled to loose the burden, and Stitch struggled to burden the Shadow.

The air grew immediately cold as they flew higher; dark red clouds took the view of Stitch's eyes as he fought upside-down to stay latched onto the demon. Acula lashed his clawed hand behind him, and took a hold of Stitch's neck; the werewolf growled as his skin stung; he lodged his fangs into the Shadow's arm. For the first time, the Shadow gave out a shriek, no doubt of pain.

So then Acula was just inside a shell. The werewolf squeezed his right hand, and tore it from the demon, exposing a patch of flesh. Immediately the dark shell filled the void. He tried to break another gap in the seal, but the demon finally succeeded in in loosening his grip at the legs; still upside down, the Shadow slammed his fists against his knees, causing there werewolf's legs to move.

Stitch swayed, held only by his left hand's claws. The Shadow swirled into the air, throwing Stitch upward. Stitch was at the mercy of physics; pulled by the centrifugal force of the motion, Stitch's grip loosed, and finally detached. He floated in the air for half a moment, before he started to descend. Acula turned all the way around, and Stitch saw opportunity.

As the wing of the Shadow neared, Stitch lashed out and held onto it. He threw the flight of the Shadow off-balance, and very quickly both tumbled toward the earth. As Acula struggled, Stitch moved closer to the origin of the wing; intent on prevent the Shadow from having the aerial advantage, he clutched the back of the Shadow once more, and with his free hand grasped the wing. He pulled; the demon hissed as the wing came loose with a bone-grinding crack. Stitch loosed his claws from the Shadow and used the wing to help him glide down for several seconds, while Acula hurtled toward the ground. Acula bounced and tore across the earth.

Stitch landed with a roll, denting the ground on initial impact. He rose on one knee, the severed wing in his left hand. He watched the dust settle where Acula had cut a groove into the ground. At this point, the werewolf's opponent was no longer a human—it was a Shadow; a demon.

The demon stepped out of the settling dust, one wing extending to the left. Three steps walking, and then the Shadow graded to a sprint; its right hand rose into the air as it neared poised to strike. Stitch watched as the demon came closer, its single wing trailing in the wind; the Shadow struck, and clawed at air.

"Too slow," Stitch said, his body turned to the side. The Shadow swiped toward him, and Stitch caught its hand; he lifted it up and over in the air, slamming it down onto the ground. It recoiled and swept across; Stitch brought the severed wing to shield against the blow. He was pushed back from the force, his heels digging into the ground. He pushed the attack off, and swung the wing like a sword into the Shadow's gut.

The Shadow brought its other hand up and held the wing; Stitch struggled for only a moment, and finally gave up. He pulled the wing the other way, and flipped into the air, over the Shadow's body. Before the Shadow had time to react, Stitch landed on the other side of the demon, pivoted his hand on the wing, and thrust it backward into the Shadow's body.

For a moment, the air was silent, and Stitch held onto the handle of the severed wing. After several heartbeats, he let go, and with a haggard breath, walked forward. He turned, and met the demon's eyes. They were relaxed and distant, and sent chills down Stitch's spine. As if unharmed, the Shadow rose, and tugged at the wing lodged in its gut. Stitch's eyes pulsed as the wing came loose, and demon tossed it aside. Where the wing had been, a large gap remained. Stitch could see the scenery through the gap before it closed.

"Foolish monster," the shadow spoke, though it had no indication of a mouth, "your physical efforts are worthless. You can't harm me—not anymore." Stitch growled and poised to fight. "But it's a shame…almost unfair…" The demon's right hand rose behind its head, "That I can still hurt you…" A dark-purple ball formed in the Shadow's hand, and he hurled it toward Stitch; the werewolf tried to dodge, but was a heartbeat too slow. The attack struck his arm, and he yelled with pain, clasping his bicep as the sphere erupted into a flash of light. The Shadow laughed. "Then again, it's only unfair for you!"

A second sphere flew toward Stitch; this time the werewolf didn't block. He threw up his hand, and met the sphere with his palm. His hand clasped around the sphere, and he winced and grunted as streams of pain shot through his arm. But still he held it, pushing against the force.

"Impossible—how can you hold onto it?"

"The same way you're going to _eat _it!" Stitch managed to control it; he brought it down and rose it behind his head, and threw it back toward the Shadow, but it erupted just after it left his hand, throwing him onto his back.

"Pathetic monster," The Shadow laughed, its palm glowing with the same purple light, "Here is where I add your power to mine." The demon ran forward as Stitch stood; the werewolf raised his arms to block the palm.

Contact; blinding light erupted, the air shook. Stitch's fur rustled and his hackles stood on end; a prickling pain fell over the front of his body. He lost his balance, and fell back again. Dark smog filled his vision after the light faded. His eyes burned; he rubbed them to try and see. The smog began to dissipate, and Stitch's eyes flashed.

A hooded figure, as tall as he, stood upright at his feet. Raised in its left hand, the figure clutched a gnarled quarter-staff, which the Shadow's hand also held. The demon growled at the small cloaked intruder, but had little chance to do anything else; the figure's right hand shot up to catch the other end of the staff, and snatched it from the Shadow's grip. The figure then turned, and thrust the heel of the staff into the Shadow's gut, sending it into the air and landing on the ground several yards away.

The figure pulled the hood away, and let her hair fall over her shoulders. She turned to Stitch, and stepped toward him, kneeling down to feel his arm. He barely managed to utter her name.

"L…Lilo?"

"Relax, Stitch," she said gently, placing a hand over the dark mark on his arm. "Don't worry, you're not hurt." He tried to get up, but she pushed him back down. "Stay. Let me handle this."

"_Naga_; Lilo get hu—"

"Trust me," she said with warm, soft eyes. "I know what I'm doing." She tousled his hair. "_Stay_," she commanded, and somehow Stitch felt the desire to heed her word. She rose and stepped back toward the shadow, with an air about her Stitch had never seen. She waited as the Shadow staggered to its feet. Its red eyes met hers.

"Well, well," Acula spoke, "if it isn't the little Seer." Lilo smiled.

"If it isn't the magician." The Shadow glared.

"It's an insult to call me such a thing," he said, "I have the power of the Shadows now—I am far more than a magician."

"And I'm far more than a Seer." The demon cackled.

"Oh really; what _are_ you then?" Lilo tapped her staff against the ground; a gentle wind stirred the loose soil.

"Simply put; your worst nightmare," she gripped her staff in both hands. "A Spellsinger." The Shadow blinked, and began to chuckle once more.

"A Spellsinger?—You? Hardly; I have studied the arts of magic for many years, and have found that a Spellsinger is an impossible myth."

"Try me—I'll get rid of your power, and then close the door to the Undead realm." The Shadow raised his arm; the purple sphere grew in his palm.

"You don't have a chance."

"Lilo!" Stitch yelled, and leapt to his feet to push her out of the way. He stopped; in front of Lilo's extended hand, the sphere floated idly. The gnarled end of Lilo's staff slipped onto her arm and the heel swayed to and fro as she tossed the ball from hand to the other. Stitch's ears swiveled back.

"You're going to have to do better than this," Lilo said, displaying the ball in front of her. It began to shrink and disappear. Stitch took a step back. He began to understand what was going on; somehow Lilo managed to gain magical powers. She looked back at him and smiled. He blinked as their eyes met.

"Look out!" He pointed, spotting another purple sphere. She held her hand up, without so much as twitching a hair away from his eyes. The sphere froze in the air, and then shrank to nothing.

"I told you, don't worry." She turned back toward Acula. She snapped the arm which the staff was hooked around; it bounced into the air, and she clutched it in her hand. "Now," she changed her stance; her left arm rose, and her right foot moved behind her so that she stood sideways facing the Shadow. "Let's get serious." An orb of fire grew at her palm, and in the same instant it shot forward through the air; the shadow hissed as it scorched his chest.


End file.
